


Find me now

by fridarules, naniquena



Series: Find me now - The complete work [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean, Alpha Sam, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chef Castiel, Doctor Sam, Early stages of mpreg, F/M, Good Ruby, Happy Ending, Heterosexual Sex, Human Ruby, Light Bondage, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mechanic Dean Winchester, Miscarriage, My First AO3 Post, My First Destiel Fanfic, My First Fanfic, My First Smut, My First Work in This Fandom, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Castiel, Pregnancy, Ruby (Genevieve Cortese), Scarf Kink, Sorry Not Sorry, True Mates, no description of birth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-22 13:21:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 45
Words: 264,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2509286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fridarules/pseuds/fridarules, https://archiveofourown.org/users/naniquena/pseuds/naniquena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean has always been a free spirit. For 30 years he's been a free Alpha male hunting jobs and beta girls. And now, almost at his 30's, he has the weight of the law above him and the ticking of his internal alarm clock stating "you have to mate NOW".<br/>Sam is a Meta with a purpose in life, a career as an important Doctor and a girl. The white picket fence American dream<br/>Castiel has been an outcast his whole life. A mated Omega with no mate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everybody

**Author's Note:**

> This world is based on ABO dynamics but with some very different characteristics which will be explained thoughout the chapters, stay with us to discover them.
> 
> We'd like coments... We'd really like reviews... Good and bads, all of them can make us grow. BUT if you are mean or bully, your comment will be deleted.

Sometimes being an Alpha sucks. Dean’s been fairly happy most of his life… or so he had thought. There are always stones on the road, though. It’s the whole fucking mate thing.

Everybody has always respected his life choices. He’s always been a free spirit, open road lover, never taking a girlfriend home to his parents; he’s been alright with his one night stands, thank you very much. Baby, a ’67 Impala, pristine and beautiful has been his only true love so far. That’s why when his family pushes him because he’s almost 30 and he hasn’t found his mate yet, he takes it easy because their concern is, after all, only logical… until they bring up him hitting the road in that piece of junk….

“Excuse you?!” he’d say, “Leave Baby out of this”, mostly making everyone laugh. His family knows exactly what to say to make him lose his temper because… well, it’s just fun. Dean humors them playing offended but he knows they are only teasing; they all love the car his father gave him a thousand years ago.

This car is his home, in a way. The only constant one, that one he can actually rely on. Oh, he lived with Ellen and with Bobby when he was a kid, both his and Sam’s surrogate parents in practice. They’ve been the only real parental figures they’ve always had. You’d say their lives haven’t been exactly easy. One of these days, though, Dean hopes to share his love for the Impala and the open road with someone special, a person that can enjoy this kind of life as much as he does. Once he thought he had found her.

He was mistaken.

He’s always been into women, mostly Betas, but none of them had made a great impression on him; and anything else but a one night stand was always off the table. There were times when he felt compelled to share a meal or a drink after sex but mainly because the girl wouldn’t doze out giving him no time to sneak out. He wouldn’t play the boyfriend, though. He was alright on his own and there was no rush to find a mate… well, that’s about to change; he just doesn’t know it yet.

Betas were alright, yes. The reason to choose them over any other designation is simple, the only other option would be Female Omegas, and Dean is okay with them but not as mates. They are just too submissive. Dean needs someone by his side who’d stand up for herself and won’t run to comply to every one of his wishes whilst putting her own needs aside; most of them really think that Alphas are more important than Omegas. Dean won’t crave for that. He needs an equal by his side, someone to share life and make decisions together, not someone who’d look up to him like he’d saved the world or something.

‘ _Winchester, no chick flick moments, dude’_ , he says to himself while turning on the stereo where his favorite AC/DC tape is already in. Suddenly, Back in Black fills in the air and Dean’s hands rumble on the wheel, and he starts singing out loud and off key. This is life and no one will talk him out of it. After a couple of songs he starts humming while taking an instant to think.

He’s on his way to visit Sammy, his little brother, his _oversized_ little brother. Sam had decided to outgrow his big brother sometime between his twelfth birthday and the day he parted for college; but as long as Dean can kick his butt he’s okay with it.  
Dean has raised him since their mom died and their father became totally obsessed with her killer; the yellow eyed guy or demon or whatever he was, and their dad just lost it.

John Winchester had once been a good father, a really nice guy, always there for his family. His children were the most important thing for him, even when he was not the perfect husband from time to time he’d get drunk after work (some habits die hard),  and he was pretty sure he’d cheated on Mary at least twice. The thought of it made him sick but he’d do it all over again next time… Being an alcoholic sucks and it’s always a good excuse for one’s failures. But Dean was way too young at that time to remember certain details and Sam was just a baby.

So, one day John had come back from work early, and he had never thanked God enough for the little miracles even in such desperate times; he was able to save his kids from the fire that had got their house down… but didn’t manage to get Mary out. They lost her to that fire, John had put Sammy, exactly six months old, in Dean’s arms, just four years old; and the kid found himself with the responsibility to carry his baby brother out of the house while his Dad tried to save their mom. Dean had never stopped thinking of Sam as his responsibility, always taking care of him, raising him helped by Ellen and Bobby when their Dad would hit the road after Alastair, Mary’s killer. Their father himself had died a few years back without finding out where the guy who had killed his wife was.

It’s Sam’s 25th birthday week; the spring sun shines on the road and Dean and Bobby are heading to Lawrence from Sioux Falls on their way to California.

“All I’m saying, idjit, is that you are a friggin’ Alpha and you should hurry and find a mate. You’re almost thirty, dumbass!” and Dean loves Bobby as a second Dad but that is just crap.

“Bobby, look… it’s okay, I get it; I am almost out of time. I know you are right, I should worry about the New Order Law crap and my dead line but I just can’t force it, man! What’s the difference in settling for the first woman I see and waiting for the government to mate me with someone else?” because that was the main problem for everybody and they meant well, but he did not see any way to make it work. Not just now, anyway.

If being an Alpha sucked, being an unmated Alpha at 29 is a recipe for disaster. He’s got less than a year to find his mate and tie a knot and impregnate her or the New Order would make the decision for him. Find him an Omega and force him to tie a knot and breed. But how in the name of God, if He exists, will he do that? How can he switch from being a free spirit into being what the society forces him to be? How to settle for that? He can’t remember the last time he has thought about this shit.

“Anyway, Bobby… are you ready to meet your son’s girlfriend? You promise to behave properly, old man?” Dean teases him, knowing how important Sammy is to Bobby and that, even in his grumpier state, he’s delighted that his MetaAlpha boy has decided to settle and have a family of his own.

Sam has found his mate some time ago, Dean has met her a couple of times when he visited Sammy last year. Sam has not found the time to visit his family and properly introduce his girlfriend but being a Meta and a Doctor, leaves him no time for trips. His mate is a petit brunette Beta. Sammy insisted that all his family should be there for his birthday because he has an announcement to make and told Dean he must be there. Dean is pretty sure it means he’s got hitched or she’s pregnant… either way he’s happy for him. Sammy is doing exactly what he is expected to.

That gets Dean to think; and now that Bobby is asleep with his forehead against the window he takes a while to compare his life to his baby brother’s. Dean is the opposite to Sammy. He’s an Alpha on the road, and hunting jobs and Betas is his way of living. Or it was for most part of his adult life. He’s not so sure about that now.

He’s never been tied to any place or lover.

But his urges are different now.

A drink in a hand and a Beta by his side by a pool table feels not the same, like it’s not enough anymore. He hates himself for that, for wanting more, for betraying his own and oldest determination: never to settle for the ordinary path.

Dean has always thought of himself as being beyond his gender designation. He won’t be ruled by his instincts and pheromones and mating crap. He’s always been a freethinker, a conscious human being with free will, but now his mind and body are betraying him. He feels the need to find his mate… and that is a word he just hates. It makes him feel as if he was some kind of animal with the urge to breed, to knock up someone to be happy. Fucking biological clock and laws.

He must have said that out loud because Bobby woke up with a snore and said, “Whaddup, princess” and yawning “Problems in paradise, maybe?”

And Dean could have kissed the man for waking up just in time to get him from his grim thoughts. “Shuddap, Bobby. You hungry? Let’s pull over that dining and have lunch”

But he couldn’t stop thinking about his mating time limit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell us if you like it.  
> We'd like coments... We'd really like reviews... They are like fuel for us!!!!


	2. Breathe

Without your lips on mine  
no the sun doesn't shine  
and no I can't breathe  
I can't breathe  
Your words are a symphony  
music that sings to me  
no I can't breathe  
I can't Breathe

* * *

 

Sometimes you cannot help it and everything screams “ _life is good_ ” at you, Sam says to himself while doodling loving patterns on Ruby’s belly. Moments like these are what keep your head clear and you feel nothing but love in the air, a perfect morning in every way… And he doesn’t want to jinx it.

After a childhood like his and his brother’s any quiet moment he gets makes him feel like he is in Heaven.

Their childhood started to fall apart and crumble the day their Mom died. His brother used to tell him how life was before that terrible day.

For Dean, his childhood ended that day, but for Sam it had never started. He did not have the time to experience the happy family life the Winchesters used to have because he was only a baby at the time their Mom passed away so it was his brother’s task to tell him all about their mom and how she loved him and sing him to sleep, how happy Dean was the day Sam was brought home from hospital and Mom had told him he was now a proud big brother and had to love and care for baby Sammy, and his brother has never stopped doing it.

Mary, beautiful and loving wife and mother, died almost 25 years ago trying to save Sammy from the fire that was consuming their home. For many years they had thought it had been an accidental fire but after years of research (well… “obsession” would be a more accurate description of his Dad’s activities towards the investigation of his wife’s death) it was discovered that someone called Alastair ran an underground business selling MetaAlphas to the higher bidder, and, to achieve such a goal, he kidnapped MetaAlpha kids (sometimes the designation comes around before its time during blood tests) and, whenever possible, he’d also kill everyone in the house, leaving no witnesses behind and no direct relatives that could go after him to rescue the kid, but again, he could not have foreseen John Winchester’s dedication to find his wife´s killer, so the only casualty that day was Sam’s and Dean’s Mom.

MetaAlphas are rare. Not very different from regular Alphas, same anatomy, knotting abilities, same matting skills with all the madness of sex pheromones included. Tiny little differences may be found, though, they have a higher IQ than the average (they are actually considered almost geniuses), they are taller than most Alphas (Dean always teases Sam saying he took that very seriously, and that he had forgotten to stop growing), He's is 6.5” and a very handsome MetaAlpha. Sam finished Medical School at the age of 22 and today he's the youngest 3rd year resident at the Cedars-Sinai medical center. His mom would have been so proud.

Sam was thinking about all of this while in bed with his MATE. Yes, he has a Beta Mate because, sue him, MetaAlphas and Betas can mate; it’s not common, actually it’s pretty rare but when it happens it’s just awesome.

Ruby can read Sam's mind. She’s not the _read-minds-through-the-eyes_ kind of girl, no. She’s got actual mind reading abilities. Fortunately she has learnt to control it at a very young age, so she can respect her mate’s privacy unless gets too distracted and then she’s reading minds without even noticing. Just like now, she’s got so focused on Sam’s tender touching of her own skin that she got inside his mind and, realizing he was thinking about his mom, she does not press him for sex like she would have done any other morning. Ruby enjoys his fingers wondering on her belly knowing she can always get his attention focused on sex later.

Sex with MetaAlphas is usually mind-blowing but having a 6’5” mate, exception to the “taller guy-shorter dick” rule and madly in love with you, can be an exhausting and also a so _walking-on-clouds_ experience. It can keep her in a happy mood throughout the day come what may.

And now her mind cannot help but to think about sex, thank you very much, and despite the fact that Betas don’t project pheromones like Omegas do, Sam always says Ruby’s skin smells different when aroused, not that he is complaining. So, with a grin, Sam looks into her eyes, his hand going up her torso away from the belly and towards more playful corners of her body, his eyes darkened with desire and a pumping erection trying to escape his boxers.

“You really should stop thinking about sex in the mornings if you ever want to get to work in time, baby.”, the definition of a quickie for an Alpha it’s of about an hour at its best, “Now I have to do something about this”, he says looking down at his rising erection.

“Come here, then!” and smiling through her narrowed eyes Ruby reaches out for his arms and gets lost in his loving arms…

They don't get to work on time today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell us if you like it.  
> We'd like coments... We'd really like reviews... They are like fuel for us!!!!


	3. Time

Time, look where we are and what we've been through  
Time, sharing our dreams  
Time, goes on and on everyday, baby  
Time is what it is  
Come what may

 

“A chef is a chef is a chef is a chef!!!”

A phrase Castiel cannot take out of his mind, a constant reminder of his father’s disappointed tone of voice the day he decided to confront him and stand up for his decision to take Cuisine classes instead of attending Law school, unspoken rule most of his older brothers had decided to abide, honoring the Novak family tradition.

Castiel couldn’t understand his father’s stubbornness, anyone would have thought there were enough lawyers in the family, and he was not even the favorite son, so the reason for his obsession of his younger son becoming a law student had always troubled Castiel. He had never been able to count on his father because he was never home; always travelling or taking care of the Firm and the little time he spent with his children it was all legal talking. The young man couldn’t be less interested in that kind of family reunion so most of the time he felt he was letting his father down by just standing there without participating in the family -poor- quality time.

Things at home have always been like that as long as Castiel can remember. His mother, Aldana Novak, died shortly after giving birth to baby Anna due to complications. She was sedated and never regained consciousness. After so many years of looking for a daughter she died without knowing she had finally succeeded.

Castiel was a toddler at the time and loved his mother dearly. She was the only one to run to him whenever he'd call out, or to comfort him if he had fallen from the swing and cried like he had broken something only to make him smile by just kissing his knee; she would tell him the most amazing bedtime stories and laugh with him all the time. It is her laughter he misses the most, her voice he could not remember, but her eyes of a clear summer blue sky that used to look at him with so much love and her laughter; he will never forget. Of course he was not the only one affected by the loss. The Novak siblings were five at the time of Anna’s birth. Lucifer was 9, Gabriel and Balthazar were the 7 year-old twins (not identical, mind you), Emmanuel was 6 and Castiel 4. All the joy of finally having a baby sister could not stop the pain caused by their mother’s death. Anyone would have thought that having six children, one of them newborn, the father would have taken a time off after his wife’s passing to take care of them and help them go through the rough times, comfort them and make sure they would be ok. Well, guess again.

Dead mother, absent father, killer combination. The next decade went through very dimly for the Novak siblings. A silent house ran by the help, it was sad for the kids who felt like they were orphans raised by nannies and homeschooled for their first decade of life. Whoever said ‘ _family that prays together stays together_ ’ has never spent a week at the Novak’s. The older brother would never lift his nose from the text books, the twins always playing pranks and getting into trouble. And then the younger ones, always lost, always needing affection, especially Castiel and Anna. Of course their Nanny was ok, she was young and played with them and helped them with the homework (isn’t everything technically homework when you are homeschooled?) and Gabriel and Balthazar would teach them games that Nanny Donna would never dare to play or teach them, but at the end of the day, even at such early age, they knew it was not the same as having your own parents kissing your forehead goodnight and caressing your cheek, telling ‘I love you’ and singing you to sleep.

Strolling into the teen years and going to an actual school did nothing but keep mining Castiel’s self-confidence. Once again, he had his father to blame. What was he thinking when naming his sons like that? He was happy his older brother got "Lucifer" instead of him, being that the weirdest name choice. All of them were named after Angels, and Castiel had never heard the Chastity jokes until he got to school, he didn’t get it at first but then Balthazar explained to him the basics of bulliying and Castiel had to learn how to defend himself (just in case nor Gabe or Balthazar were around). So, he might be shy but he could stand up for himself, thank you very much. When Lucifer turned 21 and being their father always away, as if their family was the least of his worries, the oldest brother took the younger ones into his care (well, financial care anyway, it is said that the apple does not fall far from the tree, after all) and the teenagers remained as close as possible trying to survive and grow up the best they could with what was given to them.

Nowadays Castiel has still to put up with the Chastity joke every time he meets someone (so much for people’s creativity; and can you believe they always think they are hilarious? Just every friggin’ time!) But Castiel had learnt to deal with it when he was very young, so at 28 he just smiles and thinks ‘ _fuck you, assbutt’_ while friendly shaking the joker’s hand. Now, isn’t that lovely?

Castiel shakes his head, realizing he was sort of daydreaming again. _‘Focus, you idiot! You have a business to run! Focus NOW’_ , he forces himself to think. The restaurant was doing great, got a nice reputation and was in fashion. All the cool people in the city would book for anniversary dinners and birthday parties. Tomorrow, for instance, the most important dinner was going to be held to honor the 25th birthday of a very important Doctor. And not any doctor. In nowadays society being a MetaAlfa young Doctor was kinda unbeatable; you could say they were at the top of the pack, and people really do care about that kind of things, so if he succeeds in organizing the perfect birthday party for this Doctor Winchester he knew it would put his Restaurant on the Top 5 Resto Magazine's review of the month. And, man, he would kill for that kind of promo.

“Charlie..? CHARLIE!!! I know you love computers and you make the most amazing art for the cakes but THEY WON’T BAKE THEMSELVES!!” He tries to make himself heard over the music coming out of Charlie’s IPhone. Katrina and the Waves are still walking on sunshine, apparently, and Castiel wonders if they'd freckle, tan or burn. Charlie is so absorbed hacking into her girlfriend’s email account that has not only lost track of time but also is paying no attention to what her friend is saying. So he goes to her and, turning her phone off, kindly asks her to start working on the Winchester’s cake. He loves her like a sister and she gives him the sort of headaches his own sister used to give him while growing up together.

Charlie is an amazing pastry chef and works with Castiel since what it seems forever but in reality it’s been ten years now. They have met at the Culinary School when anything different from baking was wasteland for her, and he was a lonely Omega who wouldn’t know how to talk to a girl even if his life depended on it.

Technically Charlie was a girl because, duh, Alpha females are still girls (despite of that little male part of her genitalia, but that, my friends, is a completely different story). After a few classes they felt comfortable around each other and Castiel helped her with the cooking of a potato pie (yeah, she was so much better at pastry. Bad! Bad potato! Give her baking over anything else any time). In return Charlie gave the shy Omega tips on how to control himself. Funny that having several older siblings, no one had ever taken the time to explain the basics of his own gender to him. Well that was the way the Novak family has always moved around each other and still does. Imagine a house with no mom, absent dad, four Alpha brothers, a Beta sibling and Castiel, the only Omega with nobody to explain what was happening to his own body, they had only assumed he was also an Alpha-to-be. They should have given that a second thought.

That was until one day when he was 16 he asked the family Doctor what was going on with him. He could not understand his own body and was beginning to panic. He went to a school road trip and came back a mess of sensations; pheromones gone to his head and other parts of his body making him go frantically worried. Fortunately, being the son of a wealthy family gave him the opportunity to be introduced to the pill, otherwise so expensive not many Omegas can afford. The Doctor explained to him that despite the fact that it was lovely that he had found his mate at such a young age it was better to have a life plan so he would not give birth before finishing school. Contraceptive pills would give him a choice, not only to decide when to get pregnant but also when to mate -his body, his choice-. All the medical talk was too much to bear. Leaving the consult in total shock, Castiel still did not understand what was happening to his body, not really. Why hadn’t anybody given him a hint of what he could expect of life? Man, this sucked. A name that people constantly mock, shy around girls and now popping pills for life unless he chooses to go displaying Omega pheromones around every Alpha he knows and go on heat making it impossible to control himself, wanting to bang (or get banged, to speak properly-ish) anything that moves or even GET FREAKING PREGNANT? Gosh, thank you so much but hell, no. Only, sorry but hell, yes. Too bad, pal. On a second thought what was that the Doctor had said about Castiel having found his mate? Boy, that was the shittiest day of his entire life. And still he didn’t have any idea why he got into heat at 16 when most Omegas start around 18 and when, no matter what the Doc says, he hadn’t actually met anyone. He had not found his mate. Castiel went through his teen years in total confusion.

But then, after meeting Charlie and becoming friends and confidents (pretty much the best friends each other could have asked for) she explained things to him streetwise, no medical jargon. If he does not pop the pill he will get so horny he won’t be able to control himself and he will get pregnant if he had sex. And the most important thing the Doctor failed to mention, if he goes on heat without his true mate, there was a huge chance to get abused by any Alpha, male or female, because some Alphas are assholes. That lit a red light in Castiel’s mind. Please, it scared the shit out of him. He would rather feel sad and lonely the three days of his heats than letting himself be used by anyone. It was so fortunate that he found Charlie and became such great friends. At home he had no one to talk about this stuff. All his Alpha brothers would rather talk about tampons with Anna than facing their Omega brother's issues. Anna cared about him but she was way too young for him to have this kind of conversation with. But there was Charlie and everything changed for the better.

So there he went, all through his early twenties dating female Betas, playing 'Haaaaaave you met Castiel' with Charlie as his gay female Alpha wingman. He even succeeded in dating; a couple of girls had stayed long enough to be considered his girlfriends, and he felt comfortable enough around them to even have sex. Neither relationship lasted long, though, but it made him realize he was really a lady’s man; no male Alphas for him, thank you.

Female Alpha plus male Omega companionship. Odd combination but it works perfectly fine for Charlie and Castiel. They have each other’s back. _The odd_ is, sometimes, the best thing that can happen to you.

And there he was daydreaming again. Charlie is trying to discuss the Winchester cake with him. And now she’s waving her hands at Castiel’s face. “MOTHERSHIP CALLING NOVAK!!” Charlie says. “Dude! Winchester!, how many people in the party?? I need to know. What if the cake is too big or, Heaven forbid, too small… he is a friggin’ META!!” (Charlie is not fond of the “NEW” gender classification… She’s almost at the bottom of the list, being an Alpha female, who can get Omegas pregnant… weird shit… a girl who can knock up someone. But hey! Life is what it is, and if it is made of lemons… well, you know the rest). He tells her that even when most MetaAlphas are dicks and think they are better than anyone else looking down at people, this guy Winchester sounded so nice on the phone when he called to book the dinner, Castiel is sure he wouldn’t care about the size of the cake. But it's still a good idea to get to work on it right away.

  
“Ten people in the party, Charlie” Castiel says, his mind wandering. He’s still worried, this month heat will start tomorrow and he knows chances of getting it at a worse time or place is close to none. He’s been handling the sensations of need and sadness for 13 years now and now he knows he can make it just fine, but also knows his skin will be 1 or 2 degrees warmer than usual and he is gonna be cranky and distracted because he thinks everybody can tell, no matter how many times Charlie has told him otherwise.

“Dude!!! No one notices!!! Well, except for me, but that is because I’m your bestie and I keep your fucking calendar”. Still…

  
The Angel’s Pit. Castiel named his restaurant after his father’s obsession for angels, and he needs the boost up this party can bring. The MetaAlpha birthday party is going to be reviewed by the local newspaper. He is positive about this. Castiel just knows everything will go smoothly.

  
Castiel turns to Charlie and says… “I’ll check on Alfie, the _mise en place_ must be finished within the next hour!” leaving Charlie wondering what the hell’s happening to him. A second after, it hits her, the date… tomorrow is not gonna be a good day, or the two days after that.

  
Charlie is gonna be there for his friend. Castiel knows he can count on her.

Yes, odd works for them.


	4. Boys Will Be Boys

You've got something  
So incredible in my eyes

There is no way Dean is gonna get on a plane so he is dragging Bobby’s butt from Sioux Falls to Lawrence in the beautiful Impala on the open road to pick up the rest of the Winchester’s non-blood-related family; Ellen, her daughter Jo and Ash (nobody remembers how Ash became part of the Roadhouse family anymore, now he is just part of the pack).  
  
Like every other family they are loud and they all talk at the same time; different topics and everyone answering as addressed in perfect timing. Only this time all four passengers are talking about the same thing and darting questions at the same family member: Dean.

  
He takes it for a while, answering honestly general questions about his due date on finding his mate. No, he hasn’t found her yet (because it HAS to be a she). Yes, he is aware his time is running out. No, he’s not going to hunt her down; he’s got a life, for God’s sake; were they expecting him to leave everything for eight months and do nothing but to look for his mate? Yes, it bothers him to be asked the same darn questions time and time again (not that it makes them stop; giving you a hard time is what families are for, after all).  
  
Dean loves this bunch of crazy people he is taking to his brother’s birthday weekend, but enough is enough. Somewhere in the middle of the road between New Mexico and Arizona and after he is asked for the tenth time what had happened to Lisa (lovely Lisa and her _so-Dean-look-a-like_ son Ben) he declares a stop to the questioning and the car goes silent. Only music can be heard, way too laud for anyone to speak, so Ash falls asleep (he can sleep in the weirdest positions and places and still have a rest), Jo enjoys the countryside smiling to herself while gazing at Dean’s frowny face, and Ellen, sitting in the middle of the back seat exchanging meaningful looks with Bobby, who had claimed shotgun as usual. Gaze between them meaning things Dean really doesn’t want to know. Parents do not have sex, it is well known. And these are Dean’s surrogate parents. So he can definitely be without that mental image, thank you.  
  
So, for a few hours, there is Dean giving his family the silence treatment and finding time to obsess about some of the things they had said earlier.  
  
Lisa Branden.  
  
Lisa was one of the best things that had happened to his life. She was adorable, funny, patient and loved him so much and he truly felt he loved her back. Her son, Ben, had become his own. Dean and the kid had a great connection. Dean had always felt the kid was his for real, he could see himself in his eyes and manners- not to mention he had had a mind blowing sex marathon with his mother back around the time she got pregnant- but she denied it every time he brought up the subject saying she had a type back then so he stopped pushing all over, never brave enough to demand a DNA test. He was afraid of being wrong and preferred to remain a paternal figure for the kid he loved than learning that that was exactly the only thing he was to Ben.  
  
Now, all this considered, why couldn’t he commit to the family the way Lisa needed? Sometimes Dean felt he was there only to stay close to Ben. Oh, he loved Lisa alright, but was that enough for Dean? He longed for the road. Sometimes he needed to get into the Impala and just drive away, feel the wind on his face, windows rolled down, sunlight in his eyes and his classic rock’n’roll tapes on the stereo. That has always felt like Dean. Open road. Lisa could understand that. Man, she was awesome. And still, it didn’t feel right. He could think about it for hours and hours and never find out what was wrong.

Staying close to her had felt like cheating.  


* * *

 

So a couple of days after Dean had given his family the silent treatment, enjoying the looks of discomfort on their faces,(small victories are made of this), everyone small talking again among them since the 'silent day' onwards, Castiel is at the Angel’s pit almost having a nervous breakdown. Time is short and it seems nothing will be ready for the next day party. Supplies have arrived on schedule but the boxes are still piled up in a corner. Alfie seems to be very busy following the sous-chef orders to the dot to do anything else, his concentration only broken when Castiel enters the kitchen to supervise the menu.  
  
-“Jean Luc, what is this?”- Castiel asks his sous-chef taking the scheduled food list for Winchester Party turning to face his employee- “This is not what I have agreed with the birthday guy! Winchester specifically asked the courses I wrote down on the menu. This is a MetaAlfa we are talking about here! We don’t want a bad review because you decide to change the courses to show off!! So stick to the simpler menu I told you and stop trying to impress the world”. He can almost feel his back pierced with the daggers coming out from Jean Luc’s eyes when he turns to leave the kitchen.  
  
Castiel’s head is killing him, no pill would help. Jean Luc is being a dick, as if by the power of a fake French accent and a made up French name he could make Castiel forget they had studied together at Culinary school when his name was still Charles or as if it‘d fool Castiel into letting him to do as he pleases. No way, this resto is Castiel’s dream and only concern. He should fire him, for good. Angel’s pit cannot handle this kind of shit right now, but yet again, he will have to wait and do it after the party and after he has found a new sous-chef to replace the talented bastard. Only then he will say Allons-y to ‘Jean Luc’. Hit the road, Jackass.  
  
He wonders if any of his decisions were any good anymore. Hiring Jean Luc was not one of his brightest ideas. But here Castiel is again, hormones shifting his mind twice in a second and the headache is just getting worse. Worrying about the menu and staff changing plans are not the only things going through Castiel’s mind. His heat is treating him as badly as usual, plus the pre party stress, Castiel is a total mess. This doesn’t help to calm the sadness or the feelings of abandonment. Every friggin’ time his heat hits it’s the same story, and they say the pills should help. And still he knows he has to stay focused.  


* * *

 

Pretty much the same was going through Sam’s mind. Both emotional breakdown and rethought of his career. He was at the Cedars-Sinai on the pediatric oncology wing. Why in the name of sanity did he think that this specialty was a good idea for career choice? It was so heartbreaking he could barely take it. Of course he loves kids and wants nothing but good for them and if he can heal them he feels like Batman. This was not that kind of day. A boy under his care has gone into critical condition and Sam just knows it will not end well. He knows it comes with the job and that he has to learn to deal with it but he doesn’t think he will ever do. Of course he is not serious about changing his career track but thinking of quitting is a self-defense tactic as good as any other. He will have to man up and keep on working for the greater good.

* * *

  
Sam is going to end his shift in a couple of hours and Ruby begins to panic because no matter how many shops she enters there is nothing that would appeal or, at least, fit her 6'5'' husband. Anything she would put her eyes upon Sam already has, and the perfect present for the love of her life was nowhere to be found. Every year since they got together it's been the same, he has EVERYTHING, what can she get him? Herself wrapped in foil? Nah, she’s done that for fun several times now, and Sam loved it every time. Clothes? Right, like you’d find clothes his size anywhere, and wherever you find something that MIGHT suit him it turns to be hideous. Ruby hates being always so busy with the Law firm that she had little time to shop earlier or just order something online, she kept on postponing it and then it is always too late, just a couple of hours tops to find the perfect gift. And then it hit her. He loves watches. Off she goes to the jewelry store.  
  
-“Now, that was easy”, she laughs to herself. Next year she will start shopping two months earlier. Yes, she will. Of course! She rolls her eyes to herself and walks out of Smithson’s Jewelry thinking how much Sam is gonna like her present. It will make him smile wide with just the kind of smile that makes Ruby’s heart melt. If anyone should ask what love is, Ruby would not hesitate at all, it is Sam’s comfort, companionship, chemistry, his eyes, his smile, his touch, but also everything she becomes whenever he is around. He is not only her boyfriend, Sam is her life. Ruby is deeply, madly in love with him.  


* * *

 

Three days later, two motel rooms apart, several stops for food and pee breaks, on a lighter mood, small talking and some laughters after, the Winchester’s extended family arrive to California. Dean parks the Impala in the main entrance so everybody can get out of the car, pick up their bags and get inside the mansion. Because there is no fucking way that is a just a house. It’s a freaking Victorian Mansion.  
  
Of course Dean has been to his brother’s several times since Sam had moved to California with Ruby but it always amazes him to see what his giant baby brother has achieved in just a few years. Not only the mansion but also his job. Sam has always been the brains, a model of his MetaAlfa status. His success warms Dean’s heart. He loves this moose brother of his so much. So they enter this bigger than life Victorian mansion. Ruby is greeting them by the door welcoming her boyfriend’s family to their home.  
  
Before entering and letting everyone else kiss and hug Ruby first, Dean takes a good look at his sister in law, she doesn’t seem noticeable pregnant but he knows better than crossing that from the list of “news” Sam had mentioned on the phone.  
  
Dean kisses his brother’s girlfriend on her temple and gets sucked into a hug. Arms too strong for such a petit woman. Dean feels home. He has lived to make sure Sam was happy. Mission accomplished.  
  
While Ruby goes to the kitchen to make sure dinner is on the way, the family is assigned their bedrooms for the week. There are two wings in the mansion and Jo, Ash and Dean get rooms on the left wing, nice, sunny, and warm. None of the three siblings want to think why Ellen and Bobby are given a king bedroom on the right wing. Parents don’t have sex… they just sleep together.  
  
-“What are you, five?”- Dean mutters to himself, winning a questioning look from Ash.  
  
Ellen and Bobby have kept a relationship over the years which is anything but regular. They live in different cities; talk on the phone a lot, they even Skype. And, from time to time, when they happen to find each other in the same place, well, they share a bedroom. There is no way the mental images are going to stay away, right? The siblings look at each other with a disgust look over their faces and head to their own bedrooms without mention anything. They go to freshen up and change clothes getting ready for dinner they’ll have as soon as Sam gets home from work.  
  
Dean would kill for a beer right now.


	5. More than that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second post in 2 days... Don't get use to it!!!  
> We're done with the introductions...let's get some action!!  
> We promise more Destiel soon...

I can see that you've been crying  
You can't hide it with a lie  
What's the use in you denying  
That what you have is wrong

“Who am I fooling here”. Castiel thinks as he looks at his own eyes in the mirror, glimpse of his soul, puppy sad cranky blue eyes. He is convinced that all the birth control pills will never cover it up for him. Castiel hates feeling like this, when it's minutes to the Winchester party and, GOSH! He has to make it work!

Control freak as he is, Castiel checks the table for the 100th time. Everything is ok. Every single item is in place. But it cannot harm anyone to check it one more time because, what if the plates move themselves?

“Castiel, are you nervous?” Charlie interrupts his attempt to move the water glasses a millimeter to the left...again

“Yeah, great! Why? Do I look worried? Please, tell me I don’t… I can’t afford to fuck this up. The hell of a professional I am… _Jesus_! It is so hot in here… did anyone toyed with the thermostat? I swear I’m gonna kill someone” words coming out of his mouth like a car he cannot control, but he has to or it will be too late. Angel’s pit is going to open its doors in a few minutes and this is the time of truth. Time to relegate duties or he’ll snap.

Castiel takes a deep breath and calls – “Meg!!! MEG!!!! Come here!” Clapping his hands to rush the waitress and get her priorities clear for the night. “Remember this is going to be your only table tonight. You have to be focused on this table needs and on nothing else, I don’t care if someone else calls you, you just send Annie or Joe over. I want you to keep yourself free for the Winchester’s table. Is that clear??”

“What? Yes, boss, of course” says Meg while going through her Facebook newsfeed on her phone. Castiel looks in disbelieve. Is he so overly tolerant that his staff doesn’t even pay attention to him? This is gonna be a long night.

“I am on it, Cassie.” Charlie, bless her soul, takes Meg by the elbow and gets her phone away putting it into her own pocket. “You’ll get your phone back at the end of your shift. Shame on you, Meg! You know how important this night is for us and you act like a teenager… really? I like you, girl, but sometimes I really feel like killing you” she tells her girlfriend trying to sound as mad as she can but stealing a kiss from her lightening the mood a bit. “I wouldn’t like to have to fire you, you know” Charlie says touching Meg’s hair. “… I would have to start seeing you somewhere else and that wouldn’t be very convenient, would it? I thought we had gone through this already”

While Castiel is checking the other tables for the night, Dean gets the Impala into the Restaurant parking lot just a bit early for his brother’s party. The Winchester family enters the Angel’s pit laughing at something Ash had said and Dean is amazed that Ash actually owns a jacket; it is a shock seeing him wearing anything else than a sleeveless shirt, his hair combed in a tale and smelling like Old Spice. _‘Things my brother does to people’_ , he thinks to himself smiling at Ash, always proud of his little brother’s influence on others.

  
As they enter the restaurant the ladies have their coats taken and they are all led by a beautiful blonde to their table. The best table at the place, of course. Being a MetaAlpha actually helps getting the best of almost anything without having even to ask. He knows Sam is well down to earth and wouldn’t care if they get to sit on a corner; the only important thing for him tonight is to share his birthday with his family. Their sits taken as marked (scheduled by Sam, Dean is certain. His baby brother is always laughing at himself knowing he is a little OCD) So Dean sits at the center of the table, right next to his brother’s place.

“Hey, Sammeh!!” Dean greets his brother as he is entering the place arm in arm with Ruby followed by a bunch of friends. Castiel overheard and had a little panic attack (fucking heat) that Charlie is able to calm down almost immediately.

Their friends are introduced as Kevin, Benny and Andrea. They are Sammy’s best friends, the people that hang out with him and take care of his  _Sasquatch_  brother when Dean is not around. He likes them. He likes them a lot. The whole party participants exchange handshakes and kisses and start having a very nice chat… again, everybody talking at the same time. Eventually the conversation falls into groups and then it becomes a little bit quieter, for the rest of the tables’ sake.

A few moments later Castiel introduces himself, wishing Sam a happy birthday, presents Meg as their waitress and puts himself at their service.

“Please don’t hesitate to call if you need anything, have a nice meal” Castiel says as his last line while looking at everyone on the table, feeling a pinch on the guts for no apparent reason, gosh, he hates his heats. Mixed signals everywhere… is the evening going to take long? He is not sure he will be able to take it.

The party goes smoothly, they are all laughing and talking and Dean takes the chance to tell Sammy’s friends some of his most embarrassing stories from the MetaAlpha’s childhood; like when Sammy thought he could fly as Superman, with a cloak and all, and he jumped from the fence ending with a broken arm and happy because he had a cast and got everyone to sign it.

At a point the  _Hors d'oeuvre_  are brought to the table, beautifully made and presented  _bruschettas_  , Jo tells her mother that maybe they should start offering this kind of food at the Roadhouse, causing Ellen to choke on her own saliva when she is forced to imagine their drunk clientele ordering anything more refined than a burger. Meg shows up with the  _first course_  a while later (a  _shrimp salad_ , of course Sammy's health OCD it's bigger than his organization thing), the  _entrée_  (veal almost rare, of course, and delicious) all went great amazingly sided by the perfect wine.

The mood of the party couldn’t be better, and Dean couldn’t be happier when, after talking for a while with Sam’s friends he finds out his first impression about them was correct. These guys are awesome. They find out Benny had introduced Ruby and Sam at a bar where he works, and becoming part of the couple’s life shortly after when Sam asked him for help to ask Ruby out again. The Alfa bartender promises to get some fancy drinks for everyone as soon as he gets the chance, Ash taking mental notes to remind everyone of that promise before they go back to Lawrence (for once he won’t have to get second hand drinks or wait for people to leave their glasses unattended).

Andrea has known Sam since they attended all the same classes at Medicine while on freshman year. Used to study and hang around together and became inseparable when Sam had to defend his Beta friend from her abusive boyfriend, all his MetaAlpha designation for everyone to see, but the asshole did not even try to punch Sam, he just turned around and ran away, never to be seen again; he was not missed at all.

Kevin is a totally different story, intelligent beyond his Beta condition, barely twenty and already an intern in the Law firm where Ruby works. He’s been working for her for the past two years and she could not work without him anymore. His computer skills, his knowledge of the law, and his honest care for the truth have made him a vital member of her working team. All in all, Kevin is a great and lonely guy with his family living in Texas; he started hanging out with Ruby, Sam , Andrea and Benny and became part of the gang. They are all so lucky to have each other.

So dinner was almost over, everybody happy as Meg announces the cake. -" _Probably a quinoa cake with soya filling_ " Dean jokes. Castiel himself is escorting the waitress and lighting the candle so every table starts singing Happy birthday to Sam Winchester. Big smile on everyone, tears of happiness in both brothers’ eyes, hugs exchanged and laughing while passing cake pieces around. When Castiel hands Dean his plate their eyes meet, and the Alpha cannot take his away from the Omega’s anymore, because no matter what Castiel does to masquerade his designation, Dean can still sense his heat and can’t understand why no one else on the table seem to notice, despite Sam and Benny being Alphas too. He can’t help seeing how sad he looks and even worse, how he can hardly control the urge of hugging the guy and rock him in his arms till he feels better.

Wait. Where did that come from? How can he even be connected to those sad blue eyes? How is it possible that Dean, _womanizer Dean_ , is unable to look away from this guy’s eyes not even towards the gorgeous female next to Castiel. It doesn’t matter now, this guy is an Omega in heat and Dean can’t understand what he’s doing at work in a day like this, he must be feeling awful; he should be at home watching TV and choking on chocolate for all Dean knows, perfectly aware that it is a stereotype. This is beginning to feel odd. Dean knows everything about the pills Omegas take to control the heat, his Omega friend Gadreel had told him about it. Gadreel is still one of Dean’s best friends despite the fact that he has moved to Madrid a couple of years ago with his Alpha mate, but Castiel is being clearly miserable and Dean can’t stand it. He just feels like running towards him and let him take comfort of his own company.

Jo seems to be the only one noticing Dean’s effort to join back to the conversation, his eyes continue to follow the executive chef and the little sister is about to make a funny remark to the older Winchester when something she sees in his eyes stops her cold; Dean is worried about that man. She’s never seen Dean in such a state of shock and she’s not sure what she can do to help. Jo has been in love with Dean since she was four. All stages of love: brotherly love, crush, teen love and finally, after realizing he would never love her back the way she needed him to, and no matter how much she loved him… she finally gives in and never lets him know. She still loves him and it’s ok to be his little sister if that means he’s gonna be around. Jo watches a tear almost falling down on Dean’s cheek and, knowing how embarrassed her big brother can be when exposed having a chick flick moment, she goes over his side of the table and gets both Winchesters from the back in one big hug, cupping Dean’s face on her shoulder, making sure the tear is wiped away by her blouse and whispering on Dean’s ear “You ok?” winning a confused look from the man and a small nod, like thanking her for noticing and taking him out of the trance.

So it’s a not-so-healthy chocolate and raspberry cake after all, his brother had taken pity of his family and friends and ordered a cake everyone would like. Delicious. But Dean finds it hard to swallow or join any ongoing conversation, so he decides to leave the table and go to talk to Castiel, who’s at his position taking phone reservations for whenever they have availability. Dean wants to make sure the guy’s ok, maybe inviting him for a drink later that night, you know, just two guys hanging out looking for chicks, only… oh yeah, the man is an Omega, well, he can think of something later on, he just feels the need to do something nice for this man.

On his way to Castiel’s receiving desk Dean got distracted by a scream on his back coming from the table next to the Winchester’s. When he turns around he sees his brother jumping out of his chair and running towards a man who seems to be chocking on something, his face swollen. The girl on his table is screaming “He’s allergic to shellfish!! How did that Hors d'oeuvre get to our table!! We had given instructions!! Please somebody do something!!! Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeevee!!,”

“Ma’am it’s alright, I am a doctor, let me help. I assume he has medication ready, just in case, right?” Sam tries to calm the woman down. Noticing right away the guy is also a MetaAlfa and looking at Ruby while checking the man’s pocket for the EpiPen he is sure he has.

Everybody’s worried, people are murmuring and Castiel is almost dying trying to see if there is anything he can do besides almost fainting, and still Sam manages to handle the situation. Ellen is calling 911 on her phone just like Charlie is also doing on the other side of the restaurant, Jo and Andrea playing invisible. Benny, Bobby and Kevin exchanging looks until Ruby calls the younger one aside.

“Magic begins, Kev, as soon as this person is taken by the ambulance you pick the right side of the restaurant, I’ll take the left. Try to get as many names and phone numbers as you can, this guy is a Meta, this is gonna be huge” Kevin nods but still shocked for all the show while Ruby starts snapping pictures for the trial she knows it’s coming.

The paramedics arrive and they take the poor guy to Sam’s hospital so he decides to join them in the back of the ambulance along with Castiel.

Before the ambulance doors close he turns to Benny and asks him to take Ruby home. But of course, being the hell of a lawyer she is, Ruby has other plans. She, followed by Jo recording on her phone, and Kevin, followed by Benny’s phone, start interviewing all other diners and members of the staff and some of the kitchen crew also, making sure to get all the names and phone numbers properly. She specializes in Alpha law and knows how important it is to get all this data first hand and right away.

Charlie is now in charge of the restaurant and is trying to calm everybody down, before the police arrive and take control, after all it’s a MetaAlpha, right?, Charlie is the last one to be interviewed along with Jean Luc, everything being recorded by Jo’s phone. God, she loves to gather the info while everybody’s on shock, people care less for what they say and chances someone incriminating himself are way higher than doing it sometime afterwards.

While the night explodes and goes to the drain, Dean remains sat and numb. He should be pissed that his brother’s birthday party ended like this, but all he can think of is the poor Omega that went on the ambulance and how this will surely screw up his business.

Police and press everywhere, Charlie managed to get into the kitchen and among the police she spots Jean Luc and starts yelling at him.

“SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT, JEAN LUC, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!? “ And then in a lower tone, “You could have killed the Meta! The fuck did you do?? Mixing the plates?? That table had an allergy alert!!”

“I did not do anything wrong and I definitely did NOT mix the plates, what am I, a rooky?” Jean Luc answers, his icy blue eyes giving Charlie the chills. She did not like him; hell, despite her Alpha designation Charlie fears him, and that is an understatement.

“What happened, Jean Luc, what the fuck happened?” Charlie manages to say, fighting the tears behind her eyes.

Jean Luc does not answer, asks the police if he is free to go, turns around, throw his apron on the floor and leaves the kitchen without any further word, leaving Charlie in the crowded kitchen to handle the chaos.


	6. Trouble Is

The trouble is I can't get him out of my mind  
When I close my eyes at night

 

Metas. They all have a special way of dealing with things; they really think they are something else, as if they were at the very top of society. Well, they are in a way. But does it mean they have to have their own Laws? Yeah, apparently it does and that sucks for the ones at the bottom layers of new gender designations. Betas were kinda ok; since they had owned the world before the change it’s likely they’re safe. Being an Omega is a totally different crap, legally speaking. But who is Ruby to argue with the new world order? Her own boyfriend, love of her life, is a MetaAlpha and he couldn’t be a better human being.

 There she is at the Angel’s Pit, gathering all the testimonies about whatever anyone may have seen, anything might be helpful to get the case for the firm and maybe then she would get the chance to become partner. Dean watches his brother’s girlfriend move around, asking questions and taking names and phone numbers from everyone, almost no one declining to help, as if she was spreading some kind of magic around that nobody can resist. Well, she was a wizard alright; Dean can tell people can’t help but react positively to her presence and he fully understands why Sammy had fallen in love with her.

 The Cedar-Sinai is Sam's place of comfort, he moves confidently around. After admitting Steve into ER and checking that the epinephrine was working just as it was supposed to and has confirmed he was responding to treatment, Sam checks that Castiel is taken care of as well (he was in such a state of distress that Sam prescribed him a pill so he could relax a bit and focus on the actual issue there, to be seen by the MetaAlpha as the responsible to save his life and so try to avoid charges)

* * *

 

 Sam knows everything about laws and Metas, that’s Ruby’s line of work. Castiel has managed to leave a very good impression on Sam and the Doctor would like to have a saying in all that 'sea food poisoning issue'. He knows if the Meta ends up dead or even with any minor collateral effect, Castiel could end up in jail or even worse (he doesn’t know exactly how but he knows it can’t be good, he’s gonna check with Ruby later… well, maybe after he gets his birthday present… he’s been a good boyfriend and he deserves it). He can tell Castiel really cares about whatever happens to the Meta, not only because of the implications for his Restaurant, since the poisoning had definitely taken place at his business and Steve`s table (damn he can’t remember his last name) had an allergy alert; but also because, well, Sam doesn’t know why but he can just see by the weary look in the Omega’s eyes (by now, yes, Sam realizes Castiel is an Omega, all the distress and nervous sweat washing away the effects of the birth control pill and leaving him in evidence of his heat) that he is sick worried about the Meta’s.

Castiel Novak is informed that Steve is gonna be ok, he is responding just fine to the treatment and will be discharged in the morning. Castiel seems to relax for a little while and then he withdraws. His face turning sad again and Sam is sure that if by any gods the ground would open at his feet, Castiel would not hesitate to jump right into the pit. Sam takes a moment to ponder on whether Novak is a widower or has not found his mate yet. He looks like getting to his late twenties and a single Omega of around thirty is something you don’t see every day, let alone the career and business, not a regular Omega at all. Being Sam a MetaAlpha he is not used to have such a hard time reading an Omega, his signals are confusing.

 “Hey, Castiel, are you ok, man?” Sam says cautiously, trying not to take the Omega embarrassingly out of his own thoughts, which seems to be working since Novak looked up from his own knees with a sigh.

 “What?” ‘ _Alphas… Metas… all of them eventually sensing something’s happening to me’_ , Castiel thinks “No, I mean, yes! Doctor Winchester, I am just worried about Mr Glover there and well… to be honest, I am worried about my business as well.” Sometimes Castiel hates himself and his compulsion of telling the truth, “I was expecting to have some good reviews today, good press, you know, good for business. Well, so much for the reviews, right?” and just like remembering something he gets up from the chair and begins checking his own pockets making a funny tired face when he finds out he has forgotten his phone at the restaurant, on the rush to get into the ambulance with Winchester and Glover.

 “I am sorry, Castiel, I don’t mean to intrude but you seem to be looking for … your phone maybe? Is that it?” Sam checks, “I can lend you mine, if you need to call your associate”

 “That’s very kind of you, Doctor Winchester”, Castiel sighs in relief.

 “Please, Castiel, Sam. Please call me Sam” he kindly replies.

 Castiel takes Sam’s phone and dials Charlie’s number, she answers at the second ring. “Char, what’s going on there? Is everything alright? Have you talked to Charles…Oh, God, Ok… ‘ _Jean Luc’_ , did he said anything about what the fuck happened tonight?” Castiel tries to keep it down remembering he is at a hospital when a nurse gives him a mean look, “This is a potential mess. A huge problem with Health and I don’t wanna think about Safety.” He puns “We are talking about a potential claim for damages from Mr Glover ….ok… ok… I’ll shut up and let you speak” Castiel rolls his eyes but pays attention to what Charlie is saying.

 “Calm the fuck down, Cassie! Charles is gone. I tried to make him talk about tonight’s _hors d'oeuvres_ but he just looked at me and did not say a word. He talked to Mrs. Winchester; did you know she’s a lawyer? And he also talked to the police… yes, Cassie, someone called the police, but Mrs. Winchester says it is the normal procedure and that the police will always be present when Metas are involved, no matter how stupid the problem is. ..Yes, I know, I KNOW!! Mrs. Winchester has talked to almost everyone, including Annie and Joe, oh and Alfie is crying on a corner, I think he’s in shock or something, he keeps repeating he did not do anything wrong, that he only did what Jean Luc told him to,… I’ll talk to him, yes … I don’t know, Castiel! Charles just threw his apron to my face and went off, he quit via text message a few minutes later, by the way… classy… fucking pretentious bastard… rats always leave the boat first, do you think he did it, Cassie?? Fuck!! I’ve never liked him…”

 “Shit! Well, listen Char. I need you to tell everyone to go home, don’t charge any table. Just offer the dinner as an apology for all the mess. I am still at the hospital and I will stay for as long as Mr. Glover is under observation, so I am counting on you, my friend. What?? Yeah, yeah, this is Doctor Winchester’s phone”

 “Please, Sam” The doctor says automatically while checking Mr. Glover clinic records. Realizing right after he spoke that Castiel may think he was overhearing on purpose. “Sorry”

 “Yes, Sam.” Castiel smiles at him “Char, one more favor. The Winchester family is still around, I suppose, please offer them a dinner by the end of the week as reparation for today”, he smiles again to Sam and continues, “Of course free of charge, Char, what are you thinking??? Just... Listen... Shut up… just put them on my list… bye for now, yes… I’ll keep you posted, bye” and to Sam who is shaking his head as if to say there was no need for Castiel to apologize for anything “Sam, do you like Italian food?? Pizza, maybe? Homemade pizza??”

 “Sounds amazing, Castiel, thanks but really, there’s no need…” and now it is Castiel’s time to shake his head dismissing the complaint, making Sam smile bigger and warmer, just the kind of smile his girlfriend melts for.

 “Is Saturday noon ok? Sam?”

“I suppose, I mean, I have to check with my family but they’re on vacations so I don’t think there’s gonna be any problem. But really, Castiel, there’s no need for reparation, the dinner was amazing, service and everything, I may add. It was a great experience and everyone enjoyed it a lot, especially the cake. I should be thanking you for making a great birthday party for me.” Sam humbly states.

“Either there is any need or not, I really want to do this. If you hadn’t been there Mr. Glover could have died or something. And that would have been the end of The Angel’s Pit. It is probably finished anyway, but if so, we’re going out with the boots on. So please, accept my invitation.”

“Well, I really appreciate it, Castiel.” And then he excuses himself because he sees an ER Doctor talking to Glover’s wife and rushes to check on the Meta’s evolution. Castiel sits back because he wouldn’t understand their jargon anyway so … he just waits for Sam to tell him what’s going on.

The Meta is gonna be ok

* * *

 

It’s getting pretty late and Dean decides to take his family back to the mansion, Ellen seems to be a little stressed because of everything that has happened, and that is definitely an understatement since she has been clinging to Bobby’s neck since it all went crazy, so they all agree to leave. As soon as Ruby finishes with the witnesses Benny takes her home. Noticing his other friends are still around he says:

“What about you, guys, can I get you home?”- Benny tells Andrea and Kevin.

“Uh, no. Thanks! We’ll just share a cab”, Andrea says.

Benny gets Ruby to the house and stays a while but not even Ash is in the mood for fancy drinks so they have a coffee and Benny goes home.

* * *

 

Castiel finally arrives home at 6AM. More depressed and tired than ever. Heat, stress and weariness is a killer combination. Fucking heat, always making his body go crazy, as if it has a life of its own. At heat days he would sleep more than usual and one may think lethargy comes because of the heat but actually he thinks it has to do with pills and the lack of a sexual partner (Castiel will never settle for the idea of a mate to share his heats with, being an Omega is not gonna define him. He is a person, not a gender designation).

It is too late to go to sleep, or too early depending on how you think of it. So he makes a very simple breakfast, just an expresso and toasts that he forces himself to eat because he knows he has a very busy day ahead. No sous chef, oh good Lord, how is he gonna fill this hole? Well, it’s not the first time he has to take the kitchen in charge; he just hopes all the rest of the kitchen crew will be there today. He goes through variations of what could have happen last night and there is no way the hors d'oeuvre sampler containing sea food on a marked table was a mistake and it had definitely come from his own kitchen. So while he strips to shower he comes to the conclusion that Jean Luc had to be involved. There is no other theory that may make sense.

Charles had been jealous of both Castiel and Charlie, of Castiel for his dream come true with the Angel’s Pit, and of Charlie because Castiel chose her as a business partner instead of choosing him. Castiel has never been able to understand Charles, they have never been real friends, have never hung out together or gone on vacation like he did with Char. Charles was never supportive and has never let Castiel come closer than sharing the table at the culinary school while with Char, instead, Castiel has shared his most intimate secrets. So put to choose a business associate, the obvious choice was Charlie. And he was right.

* * *

 

Dean wakes up to the smell of fresh made waffles and a breakfast call from Ruby. She is standing in the hallway all dressed up for work, apparently, unless she dresses like a lady to hang around her own house. Anyway she is a bit foxy, and Dean likes her.

“Morning, Ruby!” he greets his brother’s girlfriend with a kiss on her forehead, admiring how fragile she looks in her 5.4’ body, perfect and polite and a kind smile that would fool anyone into thinking she is really a delicate flower. Well, but they weren’t at Angel’s Pit last night, when she took arms and grew in size while doing what she does best, her job. She was a tornado; in less than an hour she took about 40 depositions and gathered information for a yet-to-be-case. If the Meta would sue, she would be more than ready. Ruby kicked ass and Dean decides Sam had the best of taste in mates. Well, mates… love… you get the point. Gosh, when did his brain turn into pudding? Now he will stammer in his own mind? What’s next? Start hating pie?

They go downstairs and Ruby greets everyone.

“Well, family, good morning! I am so sorry we’re not gonna be able to have breakfast with you today, Sam has an early shift and barely came home from hospital with time to take a shower and go back. And I, well, I have several work appointments today that I cannot miss. There’s a set of keys to the house by the door so please feel free to go and take a tour in the city or maybe you can go to the beach, Sally can put together lunch for you to have fun there too. Just enjoy your day, please. I’ll be home around 4PM but Sam will most probably be here by 3, not sure in which state, though, he didn’t get any sleep last night. “

“Do you know what happened last night with the guy?” Dean asks while escorting Ruby to the door.

“I understand he responded great to medication and is gonna be just fine”, Ruby answers while taking her car keys.

“Oh, great, yeah… I, uhmm… I actually meant to ask about Castiel, the guy from the restaurant, he seemed so worried that … well, I dunno, ehm nevermind, I’ll ask Sammy when he gets home”, Dean babbles, his cheeks red as an apple.

Ruby laughs and kisses Dean on the cheek thinking that one day she will tell him about her special mind reading skills and so she leaves for work. Dean wants to disappear with a puff...It didn’t happen, though.

* * *

 

Dean goes back to the dining room and sits for breakfast, everybody discussing where to go, Ellen and Bobby want to go downtown and check the places on the tourist route and the younger ones want to go to the beach and tan. Dean won’t tan; he’ll freckle and probably burn but the sound of the ocean calms him down and he likes water too, so, yeah, a day at the beach sounds good.

 When did the breakfast table gone silent? Dean looks up from his plate realizing he had been picking at his food without eating, his mind going back and forward from the beach to Castiel’s sad blue eyes and back again… to the blue eyes. Now he was obsessing with another dude… great Winchester, you’re doing great. Everybody is staring at him.

 “Jackass, pass me the syrup! And stop daydreaming of girls on the beach, this is your sister sitting in front of you, gross, dude!” Jo, dear lovely Jo, always to the rescue of her big brother. “Since you were so focused on the fruit you don’t get to vote and you are taking us to the beach. I am in California and I want to see the ocean!”

 “Anything the missus orders, ma’am”, Dean jokes knowing better than to argue with his little sister. He himself has suffered enough of her ankle kicks to know better. Petit blonde as she is, she would kick anyone’s ass in a heartbeat.

 

Ash watches all the interaction at the table without saying a word, his mind busy planning how to smuggling beer to the beach.


	7. Helpless whe he smiles

I'm a house of cards  
in a hurricane  
A reckless fire  
In the pouring rain  
He cuts me and the pain  
Is all I wanna feel  
He'll dance away just like a child  
He drives me crazy  
Drives me wild  
But I'm helpless when he smiles  
  
Maybe I'd fight if I could  
It hurts so bad  
But feels so good  
He opens up just like  
A rose to me  
When he's close to me  
Anything he'd ask me to  
I would

 

“We should bring something, I don’t know… wine? Maybe beer?” Ellen thinks out loud when Sam tells them about Castiel’s invitation for Saturday noon, “All I’m saying is we are like what, ten? And we drink a lot (she nods at Ash and Bobby, winning a killing look from her man from where he is watching TV). The guy almost lost his business to the Meta Mumbo Jumbo for us to drink his money away too” Ellen says, “it’s only fair that we bring something to the pizza party. This … Castiel, is he? He’s quite a guy, right? I mean, he has already thrown a hell of a party dinner for you and didn’t charge a penny and now he is inviting us over just because you helped with the problem the other night? Been on the business for a while and that is something you don’t see every day.”

“Well, Ellen, you’ve got a point there.” Ruby says, and to Sam “Babe, why don’t you call Castiel and tell him we’re bringing beer over?” Ruby instructs her boyfriend and then to Ellen and Jo “How was the beach? Had any fun?”

“It was amazing!” Jo says smiling, “See my suntan?” she says showing her arm to Ruby, “Gosh, I wish we’d live closer to the ocean. I love the beach and the boys!” a nervous laugh when she realizes her mother is in the same patio, but, well, she’s a grown girl and she is entitled to discuss boys with her brother’s girlfriend.

“You should ask Benny to teach you how to surf, he’s very good at it and you can get a lot of attention from boys by surfing… and it’s fun too, really fun” she rapidly adds when she sees the look in Ellen’s face (before she turns her face away to hide her amusement.)

“Done” Sam informs everyone, “We’re bringing beer. Bobby would you care to join me on a trip to the city and buy some six packs?” He had been trying to find an excuse to take his surrogate father shopping to get him something nice and have some quality time together. Dean is working on the Impala with Ash so it’s gonna be just the two of them.

“Sure, boy, there’s nothing on the TV anyway”, says Bobby without taking his eyes from the TV set where  _Ugly Betty_  was showing.” It seems a nice show but my Spanish is rusty. Let’s go, son”

*****

Saturday noon is a typical sunny and bright Californian day, and the Winchesters arrive to the Angel’s Pit in three cars. Winchesters, Harvells, Singer and friends, all one big happy united family, because as Bobby likes to remind the boys “Family don’t end with blood” and they all live up to it. Family is the people that will be there for you when you need them the most, happy and sorrow moments the same.

Charlie gets them to the rooftop, a lovely, rough and rustic place, and perfect for private parties. Castiel is working on the pizzas, a nice starters are already served and waiting for the guests. Meg is serving and gets the beer to cool, there’s enough for 20, but again, Castiel doesn’t know how heavy drinkers the Winchesters are, and with Ash around… well, the Angel’s Pit owners will soon understand what that means. Greetings are exchanged, everyone is introduced properly this time and they all start having fun.

Dean takes a couple of beers and goes to Castiel’s side to introduce himself again, all the rest chatting including Meg and Charlie in the conversation. Great party so far. Well, that was until Dean opened his lovely mouth.

“Hey, dude! You feel ok today? Here, have a beer… that other day you seemed a little sad” Shit “Well, yeah, it was a great party you organized for my baby brother… and fortunately the MetaSteve issue did not go that bad, right?... Where are you from? I’m from Lawrence… I’ll be thirty next year… Alpha, as you probably know…” ‘ _Ok, I need to shut my mouth right fucking now’_ , Dean thinks but unable to follow his own advice… points for trying, though: “I’ll shut up now…” and he feels his cheeks blushing furiously red.

Dean feels he cannot break the force field this guy seems to have around him even when he tries by taking one step back, very aware he was way into Castiel’s personal space and he finds the guy’s been looking at him with a big smile and a tease in his eyes. Does Dean feel Relieved? A bit. Embarrassed? Big time.

“I’m better now, thank you... I was worried about your family birthday bash, it was very important for the business, you know.”, Castiel said he was ok and he meant it, for the first time he was not uncomfortable when someone mentions having sensed his heat, and there’s no doubt that is exactly what Winchester had meant. “And it’s great that you’ve enjoyed your brother’s party, I’ll make sure the staff knows. Wasn’t it wonderful that Mr. Glover got out of it so fast? Well, there’s Sam to thank for that, I tell you.” Castiel checks the pizza feeling the impossibly green eyes on his back and turns back to face Dean one more time “Let’s see, what else was it? Oh yes, I am 28 going on 45, lived here all my life, same city my family business is, the house has belonged to my family for about a hundred years and , as you may have already sensed (what??? Is he saying that word out loud? Well played, Castiel… shit) not an Alpha” when did he started getting closer to Dean is a mystery so he just sips his beer and casually says “But not sure why we are talking about designations”, trying to avoid Dean’s eyes and failing.

Dean laughs a little too loud and stumbles again, “Well… I don’t know, sorry about that, today is one of those days when my mouth has a life of its own and things pop out of it unwillingly… shit, man, sorry… it’s not polite to throw my designation at your face, not my intention if that makes any difference.  That’s a MetaAlpha behavior and the Meta in this family is Sammy, not that he would do such a thing either…shit, sorry Cas…” two things Dean can tell by looking at Castiel now. One, he just made up a nickname for the man and the man likes it; two, Cas is physically trying not to show it… and it’s not working quite well, his smile bigger and his blue eyes brighter. Crap.

“It’s ok, Dean, really. All my life I’ve been asked about my designation. Most people assume I’m a Beta because Alphas can’t read me well… it seems I’m a freak, after all. Some even think I mated and I am a widower or something, even my first doctor thought I had mated like a thousand years ago, but no, I mean I don’t know why my pheromones are all crazy but, gosh, here we are again discussing designations… that’s embarrassing, sorry” and it was Cas turn to blush. He turns to cut the pizzas and invites “Let’s take the pizzas to the table, I made the hell of special ones and I don’t want them to get cold.” There’s a grin in Cas’ face and Dean’s heart skips a bit. Holy crap.

Pizzas arrive to the table and everyone is amazed by its variety and taste, he made from “ _thin crust_ ” to “ _stuffed pizza_ ”... from “ _marguerite”_  to “ _meats lovers”_  and all helped with the best German beer Sam had found in the liquor store, which was actually pretty good. So the conversation over lunch went from good to great under the spell of the beer and everyone is enjoying themselves. Cas and Dean on opposite places of the table and intentionally avoiding each other’s gaze and lines of conversation.

They discuss the pros and cons of living in Cali; all brought up by Jo who is toying with the idea of moving over there and find a job or even starting college, she is sure Sam would support her decision and having her brother to stand for her is the only chance she has to convince her mother to let her move out. Jo is just so tired of her work at the Roadhouse, all the cleaning and dealing with drunks and pervs, she can kick their asses alright, but she’s always dreamt of something else, something better and of her own. Sometimes she thinks that nobody knows, all of them seem to think that her life is perfect and that she is totally settle and happy. Only Dean can tell she is not but he also knows that Ellen would never forgive him if he even mentions the subject because Jo and Dean usually team up against the world. Sam is the only one who could convince Ellen to let Jo go, she had raised him since Mary’s death when he was six months old and Dean would hit the road with John, and being Sam a Meta he is supposed to be able to take better care of her baby girl. That’s the only thing Dean envies about Metas and is also the only thorn in his relationship with Ellen Harvelle, he would kill for his little sister… and maybe that’s why Ellen doesn’t trust him a hundred per cent. Jo is fully conscious of this and plans to use it in her own benefit. She can team up with Dean later.

They go through everyone’s lines of work, sharing stories and plans for the future. Sammy’s glowing but won’t tell why, though Dean has a theory but he’s not going to ruin his brother’s surprise. Ruby’s shocked to learn that Castiel’s related to the Law Firm that is the virtual competitor of Ruby’s family firm, but she is polite enough not to bring it up just now.

“Well, people, dessert time!” So here comes Meg with “King of Dessert” ice cream and everybody is happily surprised, who doesn’t love ice cream after all. Each one takes his own ice cream cup, puts any toppings they like (and there are a lot to choose from) and leave the table in groups engaging in animated chats once again.

Despite the fact they have been consciously trying to avoid each other for most of lunchtime Cas and Dean end up talking by the edge of the roof, way away from everybody else and they start talking about anything and everything but designations. They talk about their own obsessions, cars for Dean and food for Cas; Dean’s a foodie (not a hipster but he just loves food and is a fine cook too) and Cas doesn’t know the first thing about cars but enjoys the passion Dean puts in talking about them.

Sam doesn’t seem to be able to leave Ruby’s side for a second so he finds himself in the middle of a girls’ talk, he looks at Dean like asking for help but he shrugs like saying “You’re on your own, buddy” and then turns to Cas to laugh about it. 

The day is fading and the first evening star appear in the sky. Char is taking care of the Angel’s Pit organization below and Cas remains on the rooftop with the Winchesters.

Dean and Cas lean on the railing not realizing how close they are from each other until they turn their faces to talk and then it’s the eyes that speak for a while. And Dean feels the urge to say something or he won’t be able to stop himself from doing something he’s not ready to even think about.

“I’m trying to remember if I ever was to California prior Sammy moved here because I just know I met you somewhere before. I cannot picture you in any of my travels or my social life. But I WILL remember you. I mean, I must have met you somewhere or maybe you’ve got a twin somewhere… oh God, you’ve got a twin??” Dean honestly hopes so.

“Hahaah no, not to my knowledge.” He puns “There are a set of twins in my family but I am not part of it.” Cas promptly clarifies. “I don’t know where you could have met me since I hardly have left California in years. I mean, I went to San Diego and San Francisco once on a school trip when I was 16 and part of the track team. Please, don’t laugh… and I went to Paris once with my little sister, but that’s about it, I am not much of a traveler.” Cass resumes arching an eyebrow as he watches Dean leaving his personal space.

“I don’t know, Cas. Now that you mention it I remember trip to San Diego when I was 17. I was in the track team as well, so trust me; I won’t laugh at you if you don’t laugh at me. But we are not from the same year so most probably we were not in the same race. But weirder shit has happened so there’s a chance we met back then… but we were just kids, I mean, you meet a lot of kids at school you never recognize on the street when you’re older.”

“You’re probably right, you know, I can hardly remember some of my high school mates leave alone people on a school trip from the weirdest and worst year of my life. But that’s a story, if you don’t mind, I would very much like to skip for another day” Cas says trying to sound as casual as he can.

“That’s ok, Cas, I don’t wanna push it. We’ll talk about it whenever you feel like it”, the implication of another meeting with Castiel brought light to Dean’s eyes and he hated himself for it, but even then he couldn’t stop feeling joy in his heart. Whatever this is… he cannot resist it. “It’s getting late anyway and you have a business to run. On a Saturday not less and we’ve got to go too… I think Ash has already finished the beers and is thinking of attacking your bodega… we cannot let him do that.” He laughs nervously, not knowing how to bring up the fact that he very much would like to meet Cas again soon. When did this kind of feeling start to feel normal Dean doesn’t know. “Dunno, man, you ok grabbing a drink or two one of these days, maybe? Talk about the old track team days or something?”

“Sounds great, Dean. The thing is that my schedule is kinda crazy with the restaurant hours and everything so my free time is actually too little, a couple of hours in the morning whenever I don’t oversleep, a few in the afternoon but mostly very late at night.” Castiel says like trying to see when he can spare a couple of hours for a date… a MEETING!! He said a meeting!! Definitely NOT a date. Gosh… he can only hope he did not say that out loud. And then it hits him “Look, on Wednesdays we gather with some chefs friends of mine and we cook together. This week is the Angel’s Pit turn. I was thinking maybe you wanna hang out?” Cas says in a rush like resting importance to the matter while he can actually feel his own heartbeats in his ears.

And Dean’s face lightens up with a big smile that Cas could see not only in his mouth but also in his eyes and had to smile himself.

“Sounds amazing, man! Chefs cooking together?? That’s something I definitely have to try. I am in! Thanks for the invitation. So what? Wednesday 9 PM, here?”

“Make it 9.30 so we give the staff time to clean up before we start, deal?”

-“Deal!” Dean answers shacking hands and saying good bye, joining his family in the thanks for a wonderful day.

They say their good byes with smiles and promises to meeting again soon, maybe at Sam’s home and Cas just knows Sam is gonna be a good friend from then on, the giant Meta with the biggest and most tender heart he has ever known and Castiel feels the need to gather with this family at least once more before they go back to their own places. Amazed at how comfortable he felt around them, the kind of family he has always dreamt to belong to.

He gets them to the door and say good bye again, Char comes to Cassie with a naughty look.

“Well, look at you, Cassie… all smiling and happy… been a long time since I saw you like this…”

“It was a nice lunch, wasn’t it? Did you feel as comfortable around them as I did? I really hope we haven’t seen the last of the Winchester family yet (making sure he remarks the fact that he is talking about the whole family and not only Dean, fooling only himself). But now, my friend, we still got a business to run, so… you’ve got today’s reservation list?”


	8. How did I fall in love with you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning Sex ahead... Straight sex ahead!!! NEW VERSION!!!!  
> Enjoy!

I want to say this right  
And it has to be tonight  
Just need you to know  
  
I don't want to live this life  
I don't want to say goodbye  
With you I want to spend  
The rest of my life

* * *

 

Sam is a Meta. His life should have always been sorted out. There shouldn’t be any difficulties; it should’ve been plain easy. Key word here is “ _Should_ ”.

College had been ok,  Medicine not so much; due to long study hours, sleep deprivation and feeding on junk food and Coke or maybe ramen when Andrea was in charge of grocery shopping. Nowadays Hospital residency is hell but he loves it. It all had paid off at a point and Sam’s got everything pretty much figured out before turning 25 and he’s more successful than he had ever dreamt to be. Money and the state are not a problem since his Meta trust fund is doing well, thanks the New World’s Order for that.

One thing he is short of, though: a family... a proper family, that is. That has always been his true dream since he was old enough to understand how dysfunctional his own family was; his mother dead, his father living for revenge, Ellen and Bobby helped raising him, but mostly Dean was the one for him since he was six months old. His brother has done an incredible work and, under his care and guidance Sam turned out to be a great guy, but he knows his life had not been what it was supposed to be while growing up.

Of course he’s got Ruby now, but somehow and no matter how much he loves her- and he adores her- it doesn’t feel like enough. Sam wants more. He needs two things: a wife and kids, the whole combo to fill their home and lives with noise, laughter and diapers; little ones to turn the perfect high class house into a mess of a home. He wants to come home to toys on the floor and kids in his bed, waking him up in the middle of the night because they had a nightmare and want to sleep with mom and dad. Dean refers to Sam’s home as a mansion, and Sam knows he is right. (Not that he will ever acknowledge that to his big brother), a house too big and too quiet. Sam can’t stand it anymore.

One thing can be solved very easily, the other will need a little more work to achieve it. Not that Sam is complaining.

He had originally planned to propose at his own birthday dinner party at the Angel’s Pit but ‘Shit happens’ says the byword and it couldn’t have happened at a less suitable time… he is sure he could kill this Murphy guy if he wasn’t already dead… fucking Murphy and his fucking law.

The house is big enough to hold his entire family but not enough to let Sam propose in secret or in a romantic way without everyone being aware of what’s going on and ruin the surprise. So he has to play smart and make a new plan.  He takes Dean aside and says:

“Hey, Dean, listen… I don’t know how to say this, but you’re my big brother and I don’t think I need to invent stuff to tell you anything no matter how personal or intimate it is, right??” Sam rambles not knowing how to bring the subject in a cool casual way. Obviously he is not doing it right and being Dean so canny he has already understood what his brother is trying to say, but it is so funny to watch Sammy struggle to say it, that he is gonna let him go on as far as he can hold his own laughter. “I guess what I want to say is that Ruby and I haven’t had the time or the space to… Gosh, I’m an idiot… you’re my brother and we’ve been always ….” But then Dean cannot hold it anymore… he feels sorry for his Sasquatch brother…

“It’s ok, Sammy, you don’t need to say another word”, he stopped his speech doing his best to regain composure, “I know what you mean. God, I am not 70! I know you’ve got needs and need space, hahahaha. Anyways, Ellen wanted to to the theatre, I figure we can take the whole family and then have dinner somewhere, otherwise Bobby won’t ever leave the TV and would go back to Sioux Falls without even a photo taken downtown.” And Sam knows he’s right. “You have a good time with the missus and get to work on my nephews, deal?”

 And that’s why Dean takes everyone to the theater, Bobby kicking and cursing, Ash’s happy as long as he is promised to have WIFI during dinner and be allowed to use his laptop; he’s been so busy hanging around and socializing (he never knew he could socialize outside the Roadhouse or at all) that he’s going through a geek tech abstinence syndrome.

They arrive to the theatre and Bobby and Dean exchange an  _I-am-already-sick-of-this-crap_  look but they go in all the same because that will make the family girls happy. Dean loves his brother so much he even let Jo choose a musical play. Sammy so owes him… like a lot.  

****

Back home, Sam is way too busy to worry about anything else but to have enough candles to set the mood. The bedroom looks like an altar, enough candles to light up the place but not enough to burn it down, so Sam thinks it’s ok. Everything‘s been ready for a while waiting for his girlfriend, except she is late… too late. He had sent his family to Hollywood Boulevard about an hour ago and Ruby is nowhere to be seen. He begins to fear that the family will come back before he has the time to propose.

Sam rehearses his speech one more time and runs to the door when he hears Ruby’s car, his heart racing fast. A bouquet of  _forget_ - _me_ - _nots_  in his hand, her favorite flowers, and a bottle of  _Cristal_  cooling in ice, every detail planned.

The only thing he had not foreseen is how tired Ruby is. Smart guy, Sam makes a new plan and decides Ruby will have a relaxing bath. Explaining that the family has gone to the theater he gives her the flowers, bringing his girlfriend almost to tears of love for such a tender gesture and takes her to the bathroom, making her close her eyes by kissing her deeply while crossing the bedroom so she won’t see the candles. Sam gets her bubble bath ready as she strips, which of course makes Sam exercise all the self-control he is capable of… which is not much. This is not as easy as he thought it was gonna be. Damn.

As Ruby gets into the bathtub and begins to relax, Sam excuses himself and goes to get two glasses of champagne. He lingers in the kitchen giving her time to relax a little more; he tries to compose himself so he can take the next step before jumping on her; gosh, she is so hot. He takes a couple of long minutes to light up the candles. Now he is ready to go ahead.

Sam enters the bathroom again, glasses in hand, to find Ruby already getting dressed… well… at least her lingerie is on and high heels… because it's sexy, obviously sleeping is not on the menu and Sam smiles to himself. This is gonna be a great night.

Ruby takes the glass of champagne and they toast to themselves, to their love and life together; to all the passion and the friendship and the glory of sharing it all with your mate. She waits for Sam to hug her, to kiss her hard and make love like there’s no tomorrow. She wants it so badly it hurts; Gosh, she could jump on him right there and take him on the floor. But she can tell Sam has another idea and Ruby tries to control herself and responds to his kisses and caresses; his hand on her lower back, the other on her cheek going through her neck and onto her shoulder. He takes her to the bedroom still kissing and touching so tenderly Ruby could have screamed if her mouth was not already put to a better use.

All the candles lighten up are a surprise for Ruby; she looks around, big eyes and shocked when she turns back to Sam to find him on his knees holding a small red box. Ruby is certain her heart has just stopped and she is about to faint. ‘ _Oh my God, this is really happening’_ , she thinks.

Sam clears his throat fighting back the tears and begins:

“All my life people have told me that I would accomplish great things as an Alpha and I have always hated that. The thought of success meaning to accomplish material things is a failure in itself… to acquire more and more without taking a moment to give a kiss to your kid or enjoy a sunset with the love of your life.” And now his eyes are red and full of unshed tears.

“Life’s been good to me but there has always been a hole within, there was room in my heart to be filled with love. And that place is yours, honey; it has always been from the second I met you. That is the moment my life changed for good, nothing’s been the same ever since. Everything is better, my days a brighter and I have a reason to breathe. My whole world revolves around you. There’s nothing I would have done differently. You give my life meaning and purpose. You are the love of my life. Everything I have and everything I am is yours. Forever… I only exist ‘cause you’re here with me. I want to be yours for all eternity and I want you to be mine for life and beyond “, now the tears are running down both Ruby’s and Sam’s cheeks. She looks at him with her head tilted sideways, like looking at the most beautiful and gentle man. Her mate. Her Love. Her Sam.

“Love of my life, would you marry me?” Sam finally says, voice broken by tears but with a big smile on the face that never fails to melt Ruby.

And Ruby can think is that sex with an Alpha is good... better than good, great… no, it’s better than great. Sex with a Meta is ten times better than that and all Ruby wants is to jump on him but she has just received a proposal and if she would get happier she’d burst into flames.

Ruby looks at Sam, so gorgeous and perfect, he’s still on one knee still waiting for an answer all she can think of is “why isn’t he naked yet”. Is he really as nervous as he seems? Does he really think that her answer would be other than a top of the lungs Yes! Sam is the love of her life, her mate, her other half and the rest of the over the moon phrases but he needs him right this second.

“OH, Yes, God, Yes!!!” she smiles and cries and laughs, all at the same time. Then she grabs Sam in a big hug crying of joy. Sam splits the hug for a moment to put the ring on Ruby’s finger. It’s a beautiful ring, big enough to be noticeable but not enough to show off.

Ruby kisses his mate’s lips with tenderness, softly, with pace and then she starts to kiss him all over the face. Eyes, cheeks, nose, eyebrows, hundreds of butterfly kisses... like worshiping him and suddenly she starts to eat his neck... fierce, needy almost begging.

Sam stands up and lifts her in her arms to avoid breaking contact. Ruby attacks his earlobe with her tongue and whispers... “Fuck Me, fiancee” so softly that Sam could probably think he imagined that.

She jumps to the floor and pushes him onto the bed. Ruby looks at him with hunger, like an animal after her prey. “Oh, the things I want to do to you” she whispers removing his clothes leaving her panties and pumps only.

“So many things” she said while kissing Sam and removing his jacket. Sam grab her wrists and  flip them so now he’s on top. Kissing her with passion. Taking her face in his hands and kissing all over her. She smiles and grab his ass. “I love you Sammy. So much I love you being all tender and soft... but now... this woman needs you to be hard and rough.”

And Sam’s Alpha takes control. Removing all Ruby’s clothes and his own. Ripping the fabrics and tearing their clothes apart. Kissing her neck trying to not leave bruises and not succeeding.  

She moans, loudly. Wanting more.... trying to get him closer, faster, harder.

Sam traces a path from her hips towards her breasts and tenderly cups them. Tracing circles, almost touching her nipples, teasing.

Ruby whimpers. “Sammy” He smiles and lick one of her breasts, avoiding the sensible area, blowing over the kisses. “Sammy” she moans and he takes her in his mouth, licking, nipping and biting her nipples. Ruby arch his back, moans and squirms under him wanting more friction... just more of him.

Ruby grab his ass and seals their bodies in the embrace of legs around him, rutting, nailing her heels in his back.

Sam looks at her. “What baby? You want anything?”

“Come on Winchester.” says Ruby kissing his neck and trying to roll them. Finally she manage to be on top. “My turn now” She kisses Sam neck biting lightly, icking his nipples, and going south and her tongue carefully minding every ab she finds, teasing him. She kisses his thighs and while looking up she bites a hickey in the left hip. He says nothing but buck his hips. She smiles. “Who’s eager now?”

Ruby looks at him and without asking or waiting any reaction from him. Takes him whole. Sucking for friction. Bowing her head slightly. Making him moan in the process.

A few minutes later he says “Baby. Rubs.... Stop... OH FUCK... Stop... please... RUBY. Please. I’ll come like this and you said You wanted it bad... hard... rough... and OH GOD... GIRL PL..PLEASE”

She smiles and while looking at his eyes and with a pop let his cock go.

She kisses him, exploring every inch of Sam mouth. His hands wander to her back and he opens her legs while sitting her in top of him. Sam touches her breasts and then draws her silhouette with his hands caressing her sides and her ass cheeks. She just enjoys the touches, head tilted back looking at the ceiling as she sits on top of her mate’s abs. Sam touches her thighs slowly stroking his hands through them and letting his thumbs touch her navel and the hair in her heat. Just teasing, going up and down through her thighs putting more pressure in her clit every time he pases by. After a few minutes she’s panting and begging for release. Almost there every time he touches her but never close enough.

Sam smiles and enters a finger into her, slowly, up to the first knuckle and then removes it. She moans lost on sensation. He smiles and enters two fingers, full fingers and thrusts into her, using his other hand to rub her clit. She whimpers panting harder and harder and with his name she comes. She pants for air but Sam won’t let her lower from her orgasm so her world spins when he lifts her and enter his shaft in one motion. Ruby moans on the movement already sated and over sensitive. Not even lowering from her high. He starts to move slowly at first and picking a mid pace later. She still has her head looking at the ceiling but now he has her hands for leverage on Sam’s pecs. She moves and evens his pace, wanting for more, chasing another orgasm and his knot.

Sam kiss her and flips them again, pounding into her faster and rougher with every thrust. She cries his name and builds another orgasm and while she’s building it he knots her and growls, letting his alfa raise to the surface for a second then he comes building her orgams higher and higher. The aftermath of a perfect orgasm catches her breathless, panting harder than ever and still overly sensitive and without even to move, since she’s tied to him for another half an hour and maybe an orgasm or 3 more.

“I... I can even... I... FUCK, Sammy... that was perfect. “ Ruby says “I love you” She says and he just smiles an I love you too.

He’s knotting her and it usually takes 30 minutes to the knot to recede. Not that she complaining. Because every time she rocks her hips and she wrings another quiet, breathless moan out of her mate and a fresh load of come from Sam, she starts building another orgasm.

She should copyright the phrase… Sex with an Alpha is amazing… but with a Meta, big enough to fill her completely and for long enough to have residual orgasms almost as long as the knot takes to recede, it’s perfect… absolutely perfect.

They are in love. They are going to get married. Ruby’s in Seventh Heaven.


	9. Just Want You to Know

You gave me a smile that I could never forget  
And nothing I could do   
Could protect me from you that night  
Wrapped around your finger, always on my mind  
The days would blend `cause we stayed up all night  
Yeah, you and I were, everything, everything to me.

 

Monday morning; about 6AM. Ruby is naked and awake in bed looking at the ring on her finger. Her  _fiancé_  is next to her, sleeping. She is so happy she could float … they had made love up to almost 3 AM and  between that and the smiling afterwards she is exhausted but still unable to sleep.

Ruby gets up, takes a shower and goes downstairs to fix breakfast. She had told Sally last night to stay in bed a little bit longer because she wanted to prepare a special breakfast for the family herself; she really enjoys cooking.

Sam is showering and thinking of the best way to tell his family about the engagement. They had decided to surprise his family over breakfast and call Ruby’s family afterwards.

Sam has a late shift but Ruby has a meeting at the Firm and needs to be there by 10 AM. So this is going to be a nice early family breakfast. Everything’s almost ready and Ruby is leaning over the stove finishing the  _French toasts_  and the  _scrambled eggs; fresh made orange juice_ ,  _sausages_ ,  _bacon_  and  _pancakes_ are already set.

Dean wakes up to the smell of fresh food for the fifth time in a row. He knows Ruby is about to make the breakfast call even before she actually does it and for a split second Dean is jealous of his baby brother. He suddenly wishes he had a Ruby in his life. He feels incomplete like he’s never felt before, witnessing his brother’s sharing a home with his girlfriend suddenly he decides he has to get a mate of his own soon, before it’s too late. And this is the very first time he has had that kind of thought, never occurred to him that he would even think of a mate as a suitable life partner. He has never thought in those terms. It feels odd but at the same time it’s like the right path to follow. What’s wrong with him… well, he would love to know.

As the road person he is, Dean’s always ready to move in a heartbeat so he’s the first one in the kitchen, amazed at the succulent breakfast he has ever seen Ruby serving. There is something else about Ruby’s mood that Dean cannot place just yet, her smile is bigger and her eyes brighter than usual. He is pretty sure they had sex last night; he himself had made sure they had the time and the privacy to have a good time. No, there is something else and Dean is close to figure it out. Ruby’s smile is too wide, beyond an after sex smile. It’s pure joy. And when she turns to reply to Dean’s good morning greeting he sees it; a ring impossible to miss, beautiful and big but not big enough to make it cheap to look at.

Dean jumps onto Ruby’s personal space, wrapping her in a big hug, laughing and kissing her on the forehead.

“Congratulations, Sister!! Where’s my brother? I need to kick his ass” he laughs.

“I love you too, Dean! And he is taking a shower, he’s gonna be here…“they hear someone coughing by the kitchen door frame, “well…just now”, Ruby laughs and Dean breaks their hug and goes to his brother punching his arm.

“Hey, Sammeh! You got anything to say to me?”

“Why? It seems my  _fiancée_  just told you!” Sam grins and lets himself be dragged into a bear hug by his big brother. Them both now with tears in the eyes, not caring to display a chick flick moment.

“Oh no, I did not say a word!” Ruby laughs “But, you know… THIS…” lifting her hand and showing her ring, “…is far from subtle”

The three of them burst into laughter as the family enters the kitchen; Ash asking, “What’s the joke, fellas? Mind to share with the whole class?”

Sleepy faces questioning such a good mood for such an early hour, while the three early birds cannot stop smiling. So maybe this was not the way Sam wanted to surprise his family but there’s no time like present so Ruby lifts her hand showing the ring and everybody cheers. Ellen and Jo scream and go straight to hug Ruby, the men punching and hugging Sam in turns and then they switch and they all end up in a big mess of hugs and laughs and happy tears.

They take the food to the table and sit, big smiles on everyone, and so they continue talking and making plans for the wedding. Sam’s heart could have exploded right then, he is so happy and proud to be part of such a great loving family, by blood and surrogate alike. And he knows Ruby is thinking the same thing. She is marrying into an amazing family.

****

It’s Wednesday morning, they are finishing breakfast and it’s getting late; Ruby gets a phone call and turns to Sam with a worried look in her eyes.

“It was Kevin. Seems I have an urgent meeting with my boss about the Meta case on Castiel’s Angel’s Pit issue” Ruby tells him in a whisper.

Dean cannot hear what she is saying but he guesses it’s not good; he exchanges looks with Jo, who was the only other one paying attention to what’s going on at the table. Ash is hangover and focused on _not_ eating anything from his plate and Ellen and Bobby are talking about their plans for the day which don’t seem to include any of the others… sometimes Dean would like to delete some facts from his mind.

Ruby excuses herself and goes to her bedroom to get her shoes on, the only thing her attire is missing. Sam's going right behind her and taking her by the shoulders turns her to face him.

“Baby, you’re not gonna go against Castiel, are you? I mean, I know you’re a Meta lawyer but Castiel is a good guy and you know he doesn’t deserve to be under trial for something he definitely did not do” Sam says, big puppy eyes included in the plea.

There is a confused frown on her face, she knows Sam’s right but she also knows her hands are tied; she works for the firm and cannot do whatever she pleases. Sam notices and decides to play dirty. He gets one step closer and takes her in his arms kissing her tenderly, so sweet and lovingly that he can feel her melting right there. Soft but deep kiss, one after another; slow at first and then faster until she thinks she’s not going to find the strength to break the hug.

When she is able to speak again she says: “Ok, honey, ok. I can’t promise anything, you know it’s not up to me to decide. Our only hope is that the Meta has not hired us just yet. In that case maybe I can fight to get us to defend Castiel. But I am not gonna find out until I get to the office.” And finally breaking the hug she says “I love you, Sam. See you tonight”. And she goes to the front door saying bye to everybody while heading out.

-“Love you sweetheart. Have a good day.” Sam says leaning on the door frame watching her go… damn, it’s a great sight to see her leaving.

Sam turns to get back inside and finds Dean and Jo, heads slightly tilted to the left and smiling making fun of his silly-in-love-look and embarrassed he says “Shut up”, making them burst into laughing.

****

Dean has been thinking about Castiel’s eyes for four days now since the pizza party on Saturday; every time he closes his eyes, every time he daydreams it’s the deep blue of his eyes he sees. It should make Dean uncomfortable, how did he end up here? He’s never been interested in men before. And someone should ask, he would deny being interested at all not before, not ever… not that he’s fooling anyone but himself, of course, but he can pretend.

He’s changed into his best clothes and minded also to use nice cologne, not too strong, subtle enough to make it nice at a close encounter. Not that he is expecting any, of course. Keep on trying, Winchester… still not buying it.

Around 7PM he’s ready to leave the mansion with some excuse, not that he needs any because nobody had asked him where he’s heading to, but he still feels the urge to excuse himself and he is quite nervous already to start worrying about what they would think of him. Way to go, Buddy, keep going…

The thing is he loves his family and they love him back, but he is so confused by his new feelings he cannot be comfortable enough to be straight forward about it. Funny that the newest member of the Winchester clan is the one Dean is more inclined to share this with. Ruby has been supportive from square one, intuitive as she is there was no need for him to display all his cards, she just knew. And he was thankful; he could have burnt into flames if he couldn’t trust this on anyone.

When he tells her he’s going to have dinner at Castiel’s restaurant with him and some friends, she smiles and, embarrassed, he grunts–“Not a date, girl!”

“Never said it was, Dean! And what if it is, anyway? I mean, we’re not one of those horrible persons who look down at Omegas like they’re something else, you know that! And an Alpha/Omega couple is not something out of the ordinary these days…” Dean looks astonished at the mention of his own designation which he has never discussed with her before. “Oh, don’t give me that look, I may be a Beta with no special abilities to spot Alphas or Omegas, but Sam is going to be my husband soon and he tells me EVERYTHING, ok?” She says defensibly, “And stop looking like you’re about to faint, brother, he doesn’t know anything about you NOT dating Castiel, alright? Gosh, please, man, relax!” she goes on.

“Anyhow, you just go and have a nice evening, get to know the man. If he is your mate, and he apparently is given the attraction you feel; then there is nothing you can do about it but to embrace it”

That’s a slap in the face for Dean; because that’s the only thing he hates the most about it all, not being able to choose who to share his life with.

“I can tell you’re struggling with the idea, Dean, let me tell you something. You can choose not to be together but that would only make you both miserable”

And Dean looked so shocked at her words and its implications that she thought he was mad at her.

“Oh, give me a break, Dean Winchester! You think you can frighten me because you’re big? I am not even afraid of your brother and he is bigger than you. Uh, well, anyway, I won’t tell him, alright? I am not Sam, I can keep a secret. Ok?”

“Uh-huh, just tell me, sister… do you always talk this much??” Dean deadpans.

“I am a lawyer, what did you expect… just… look, you just go and enjoy your evening” she answers with a sweet smile.

It’s still early but he needs to cool down before arriving to the Angel’s Pit for the Chefs dinner so he decides to hit the road with 2 hours to kill and relax a bit. “Don’t wait up!” he says as he leaves, not turning to answer Jo’s questioning look. First thing he does is to set the alarm because he loses track of time when driving Baby. He doesn’t want to be late for his no-date.

Dean drives absent minded and somehow ends up at the entrance of the Angel’s Pit. He knows is a bit early but seeing through the window Meg, Charlie and Castiel going around he decides to enter anyway.

“Hey, Dean!”, Castiel goes to him with a big smile that shows up to his eyes, stops way too close and shakes his hand; Dean’s heart lightens up.

The girls turn and give him a welcome hug like old friends. Char takes him to the bar and sits him on a stool while Castiel takes care of the last minute orders for tomorrow before the rest of the crew leaves. Charlie gives him a beer and as he takes the first sip, she says:

“Well, Winchester, drinks here are not free… no, no… don’t get me wrong…we’re not charging with money today… but I will push for answers, though.”

“Answers I have a lot, money not so much, so… SHOOT! I am gonna need a lot of these today so start charging” Dean says looking at his beer.

“Good one, Mister. First one is easy: Favorite food.” Char grins.

“Easy, I am a simple man, burger, fries and any kind of pie” Dean’s answer comes fast.

“Good, now a not so easy one: Why are you here?” Char casually says leaning on the bar to look at him closer into his eyes.

“What? Here in California? My baby brother turned 25 last week, kinda big issue. Why am I still here? Vacations; I dragged my whole family here in a three days car trip so we’re taking a while to enjoy the place. Why am I here today? I was invited; and girl, if you have a problem with that you go and talk to your boss” Dean tries to be patient but he is under enough stress about Castiel so he can’t stand this kind of interrogation.

“Not my boss, dude, we’re co-owners” Char clarifies.

“Good for you, girl, still none of your business” Dean will not allow her to make him more uncomfortable than he already is.

“Dean, please understand, I don’t want anyone to hurt my friend. And if you do, trust me, you’ll find I am not all that nice” Char says calmly but with fire in her eyes that shows she is not bluffing.

“Wow, Alpha female in love with Omega male… seen weirder shit.” Dean tests her boundaries.

“Oh, man, you really don’t wanna go there… got a girlfriend of my own, and definitely not in love with him. He’s like a brother to me” and Dean is visibly more relaxed, now.

“Nice! Still good for you and still none of your business. Cas is a big guy and certainly doesn’t seem to need a babysitter.” Dean tries to stay calm but his voice is firm. He likes her but she’s being too nosy.

Just when they look at each other like measuring their mutual intentions Castiel enters the room and with a frown he yells: -“Charlie Mary Bradbury, kitchen NOW!”

The kitchen door closes but Dean can still hear them. Thank God everyone else seems to have gone home.

“What the hell are you doing? I invited him and you know it!! It’s not like he put a gun to my head or anything… I don’t get you, Char!”

“I am doing what you should have done before inviting him over, Cassie, we don’t know him at all!” Char makes her point.

“I don’t believe this. What am I…16? Char, he is someone I like. How am I supposed to know why or how I like him if I don’t get to know him? You’re acting as if you were a pissed big brother and I were a tender butterfly in distress. Well, GUESS WHAT?!  I AM NOT!!!” Castiel loses it, “I want to have the chance to know him and if you think you can interfere with it; well, think again, girlfriend, because before that happens I’ll kick your ass, first of all BECAUSE I CAN and I swear to God that if when I go through that door Dean is gone you’ll find my foot flying towards your ass in a second, Omega or not I am still a guy… “, and trying not to lose it again, “Shouldn’t you be somewhere else?? Your girlfriend is falling asleep in the patio and, as far as I remember, you had promised to take her home. I love you Char, I really do, but you have to let me make my own mistakes, like I let you make your own.”

For once, Charlie is speechless. “Ok… Ok… I get it. See you tomorrow. I didn’t mean any harm, I am just concerned. Don’t tell I didn’t care.” And kissing his cheek she leaves.

Castiel takes a deep breath before opening the door, hopes his face is not as red as he feels it, and finds Dean with a smile on his face and a feet on a stool, way too cool with what he has just witnessed.

“What’s so funny, Dean?” Castiel relaxes a little bit at Dean’s smiling face.

“Sorry, man, it’s just that you and Charlie sound just like me and Sammy. Always arguing but keeping each other’s butts. She’s a good girl, Cas. You cannot ask her to understand what you and I are doing when we don’t have the slightest idea ourselves. She could have been a little less obvious, though.”

“Well, we’ll have to talk about ‘ _what’s this’_ later” Castiel points towards the door, “The guys are here” and looking back at Dean “I heard you say burger, fries and pie; I say  _pork bacon cheese burger_ ,  _curly spice fries_  and  _cherry pie_ , like it or deal with it”

Dean jumps off the stool, grabs Castiel face and kisses his forehead and says: “Marry me”. There’s a deep look lasting less than a second and they laugh. They know this is the start of something. It’s up to them to find out what. Dean feels he can definitely do it.

Seconds later four chefs enter the Restaurant and the woman asks “Hey, Castiel! What’s on the menu? I’m starving!” and they all laugh.

“We’ve got a guest so it’s gonna be Dean’s choice. No need to help me in the kitchen, I want you all to get to know each other. Play nice. I am talking to you, Matt” Castiel tells the taller man. “Dinner’s ready in about 25, 30 minutes tops.”

“Well, you must be a simple person, Dean. No fancy food can be cooked in less than 30 minutes” Says the man who had introduced himself as Matt and Dean understands the warning Castiel has just given the man.

“Simpler than you think, buddy! I said burger and fries and he gave it a fancy twist… I’ll find out what the twist is about in 22, I guess”

“Castiel! I like this one… can we keep him?!” the woman shouts.

“He’s not a puppy, Johanna” Castiel replies from the kitchen. “And he’s from a land far far away, we’ll have to convince him to stay!”

“Oh, really!” Mark says arching an eyebrow, handling beers to everyone, “And where are you from?”

“Yeap, really. I’m from Lawrence, Texas but I currently live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.”

They all look at each other as if disappointed, and Matt says:

“You were right, Castiel! Dean could have lived in Oz or in Wonderland and it would be closer. What a pity”

“Hey! It’s a nice place!” Dean says, playing offended.

“Oh, dear, we’re sure it is. You see, once you’ve live by the beach anything that is far from the ocean is like the end of the world.” Matt sincerely says.

“C’mon, Matt. Don’t ruin the  _soirée._  Maybe Dean can stay till next Wednesday to taste my cooking” David intervenes.

“There’s a chance, I tell you. I don’t have any plans right now and I usually go where the wind takes me, so… who knows” hearing Dean say these words, Castiel’s heart fastens and he smiles to himself.

Castiel comes out of the kitchen with a tray and everybody gets up to help with the dishes and they sit to have dinner. Castiel’s burgers are amazing, definitely the best burgers Dean has ever had. Even better than Ellen’s, not that he will EVER mention it to her.  

The conversation flows easily and they enjoy each other’s company. Topics are mostly music and movies and TV. Castiel is lost when they talk about movies unless it is based on a book and only then he understands what they are talking about, but he doesn’t complain because he sees Dean interact with his friends and it feels great. Dean looks at Cas on the sly and starts to have a warm feeling for him, a feeling he can’t explain at all but that he is willing to explore. And that makes him happy.

Castiel looks at Dean as he moves through the conversation like fish in the water; smart, fast, bold, keen, arrogant at times but never disrespectful. He finds himself thinking he might say yes one day; oh, he knows it was just a tease, a jest to lighten the mood after what happened with Char, but Castiel lets himself dream. Hold it… there he goes again! He doesn’t know the guy, he’s never even kissed him and he is thinking about marrying him? Probably Char had a point and he is just nuts.

Forcing himself out of his daydream, he gets up and says. “Ok, someone help me take the dishes to the kitchen so I can serve the pie... Not you, Dean, you just sit and relax.” Smiles when Mark comes to help. Mark, who is not missing the chance to give Castiel an I-know-what’s-going-on look but saying nothing,. Good old Mark.

Coming out of the kitchen, pie in hand and Mark bringing the dishes and the forks, Cas says, “Pie time, everyone!!”

Castiel serves the best pie Dean has ever tasted, and enjoys every bit of it. They chat a little more and then the chefs go home. But David has Dean to promise he will stay long enough to go to his restaurant next Wednesday.

“Alone at last” Dean teases Cas, standing way into his personal space, fixing Cas’ hair and staring at him, losing himself into his eyes. Damn, he’s good looking.

Now it’s time for Castiel to feel a bit uncomfortable. He’s gotten less self-confident after having daydreamed about marrying Dean. So he gets defensive.

“What do you want from me, Dean? I am not for rent or sale. I have never dated guys and I was not looking for anything at all. I got a million things in my head” Castiel states gaining a confused look from Dean while carrying everything to the kitchen to do the dishes. Dean does not reply because he feels exactly the same.

But Castiel goes on, “For example, today I received a letter from my family’s Law Firm, and that, Dean, can never be good. I’ve been avoiding opening it, and I will continue to… I can’t deal with my family trying to close the Angel’s Pit right now” he stops for air and Dean takes the chance to speak.

“First, I don’t date guys either … like _never_. It’s just that I can’t help it but to want to be close to you, Cas. And second, not opening the letter is not gonna make the problem go away; most probably it will make it worse.” Thinks for a couple of seconds and says: “Where is it? I can open it for you and so you can decide to take care of it tomorrow or never. How about that?”

“It’s by the register. But if it’s bad news I don’t want to hear it. I am tired of hearing how I have disappointed Lucifer or Emmanuel time and time again.” Dean places a little kiss on Castiel’s cheek and goes to get the letter.

Dean takes a while to read it, having a hard time coming to terms with it. He’s a family man and no matter how dysfunctional his own family is… THIS…well, he’s never seen anything like this before. Takes the letter to the kitchen and looks at Castiel doing the dishes; a protective instinct appears out of nowhere and suddenly he wishes he could take Cas away from everybody and keep him safe. Fuck.

He goes to Castiel, takes him by the shoulders turning him to face him. Dean wraps his arms around him, kisses him tenderly on his forehead, “Sorry, babe, I don’t have good news but it is important that you know this. I am not sure whether this has to do with your brother’s disappointment or not. I only know that if any of my brothers, blood or surrogate, does something like this to me, I would not consider myself their brother anymore.”

“Shoot it, Dean.” He gets himself free of the comfort of Dean’s arms and sits by the table, holding his breath and waiting for Dean to speak.

Dean sits in front of him and takes his hands, only then he says: “Cas, you have, well, 48 hours to get a lawyer to represent you in court, it’s the MetaSteve case. Fuck. He’s suing you and the restaurant for poisoning” Cas is about to faint, not even Dean’s touching his jaw and cupping his face have any positive effect.

He finally cracks and starts doing a thousand things at the same time, like to keep himself from thinking… from feeling the betrayal. Cas silently cries not only of impotence but also because he is embarrassed that Dean has to witness his family misery.

Castiel takes out the garbage, puts the leftovers in the fridge, and clears the counter. And at a point he finds the strength to speak again.

“At least, tell me it’s signed by Lucifer, him I lost a long time ago. Right now I couldn’t deal losing any of my other brothers.” His eyes small with fear like pleading for confirmation.

“Yeah, it’s his name on the letter. Sunovabitch. Uhm sorry, Cas, it’s your brother but …” Dean can’t find words of comfort.

“Oh, don’t worry, Dean. He is … fuck, I am gonna need a lawyer and I don’t know any; at least not any Meta Law specialist… I am so screwed.”

“Well… actually you do and no, you aren’t” Dean takes Castiel’s arm as he storms around the kitchen and grabs him in a hug, smoothing him, rubbing his back and holding him tight. “Ruby, my brother’s fiancée, she’s a Meta lawyer. I can play my sympathy card with her, we find it easy to talk about certain things and they got engaged last night.” Castiel smells so good… Focus, Winchester! “This morning I saw one of her folders over the table by the door, she works for Edlund-Shurley Firm.” Dean continues to stroke Castiel nape and takes his face to look into his eyes. And he’s lost again.

How can he resist?… there’s no way. Dean HAS to kiss Castiel, not out of need, but to provide consolation… for both of them. The kiss is soft and tender. No passion, no lust; only comfort… feels so much like love, but he cannot think of it right now.

Castiel, despite himself, responds to the kiss, gripping Dean’s hair but not deepening it. Only when Dean bites softly his lower lip and then the upper one, Cas thinks he is about to faint, his knees faltering him, but he focuses on how good it feels to stay like this , right there in each other’s arms lovingly touching their faces, time frozen in an eternal loop of soft kisses and tender caressing.

Dean knows by now he is doomed. He couldn’t be happier.

After an eternity they part, suddenly shy they look anywhere but each other’s faces, Dean decides:

“We should go and talk to her right now. We’ll take care of this together.” Dean promises and smiles at the surprised look on Castiel’s face “Let’s drive Baby back home” Dean won’t take no for an answer so he expects none, he just takes for granted Castiel will follow and he is right.

It had taken Castiel exactly three seconds to decide to go with Dean, if he had needed any confirmation that Dean meant well, this was it. All his earlier worries gone away, Castiel smiles and Dean falls a bit more.

“It’ll be ok, Cas. I’ll make sure of it”, Dean takes his hand and leads Castiel to the Impala.

 


	10. In Pieces

_So I lay awake another hour_  
_Just like the one before_  
_The shadows play a game with my head_  
_I can`t take this anymore_

“Sam, u awake, baby? Sorry, dear; I got something very important to talk you about and I didn’t want to say it in front of the family. You mind going to the fireplace and have coffee and cookies while we talk? Not a craving, don’t panic.” She says and Sam is so happy she said YES, that he can let her abuse him for a few days. “I’ll go put something on”

Sam’s eyes are suddenly wide open knowing she will come back on a sexy  _negligée_  and a robe. As they go downstairs they whisper and kiss… one of these days they are gonna fall down the stairs; he won’t mind… too much.

When they get to the kitchen they move in an easy natural synchronization, Ruby puts the peanut butter chocolate cookies on a plate while Sam presses the button of the espresso machine for the second Irish coffee, and with everything ready they head to the fireplace.

Cozy on the couch in Sam’s arms and coffee in hand, Ruby starts: -“You remember the call I received today at breakfast, right? “

“The one from Kevin. Yeah, sure, how could I forget it? Did you think about what we talked this morning about defending Castiel?” Sam hopefully asks.

“That’s the point. When I got there Kevin was frantic. Actually, everybody in the office was a little shocked. Edlund-Shurley is one of the top five Law Firms in California and my Uncles were sure we’d get the MetaSteve case. I mean, who in their right mind would choose any other firm but a Meta specialist? Well… it seems MetaSteve did.” Ruby waits for a comment, for Sam to acknowledge what she has just said but, sleepy, he just stares waiting for her to go on. –

“Anyway, the guy chose another firm so Jennifer set an urgent meeting with the bosses and I presented all the evidence Kevin and I gathered that night at the restaurant and let me tell you they were really impressed!” she says “Still, It took me about an hour to convince them that we have a case to defend Castiel. “  

Her face lightens up at Sam’s smile, he is so proud of his girlfriend. She blushes but tries to hide it behind the coffee mug, suddenly shy.

 “Given all the depositions we got that night and Castiel’s clean background, not to mention that Chuck eats there from time to time, they agreed to defend him… provided that he hires me… that means billable hours.” She waits for Sam to fully understand what she is implying.

“That’s the catch, isn’t it?” Sam is not sure he got it right but there’s something he doesn’t like in the explanation.

“ _Full_ billable hours. No discount, no nothing” Ruby sighs. “And I don’t think Castiel can afford us”

“Could _WE_ afford you?” Sam snorts knowing the firm is impossibly expensive.

“Of course we could, Honey! For a little while but… sure we could. The money on your Meta trust fund gives enough interest to allow us to pay for a six whole hours of legal representation.” She deadpans “No, seriously, I don’t think Castiel can.” Now Ruby sounds worried and Sam loses his will to make jokes.

“I did a little research and I found out Castiel’s family is wealthy… and I am sure that under any other circumstance he would have turned to them for help. This is not gonna be the case, though…” Ruby says, her eyes fixed on the fire. “I know they will not be willing to help him.”

“Stop talking in code, Ruby, please! What are you not telling me? “

“Sorry, I guess becoming part of your family has made impossible for me to understand this kind of things” Ruby says absent minded gaining a confused look from Sam. “The name of the firm that represents Steve is  _Novak and Novak_ , the one in charge is Lucifer Novak. Rings a bell?” Now Ruby turns to look at Sam in the eyes.

“Why, no. I don’t think so… should I know them… Novak… Novak… Wait! CASTIEL NOVAK!! ” Shocked, Sam suddenly understands… ish. “You mean they are related? But, how… if they’re family… why??”

-“Beats me, dear. I don’t get it either. Lucifer is Castiel’s older brother. The firm is his Dad’s, Lucifer‘s and Emmanuel’s, though Dad seems to be retired. And about why… well… who knows. I just say it is impossible for them not being aware it was their brother they would be suing.”

There’s a sound of keys on the door and Sam stands up and waits for his brother to come in; Ruby fixing her robe.  They are both surprised to see Castiel with an embarrassed look in his face enter behind Dean.

“Great finding you up, guys. Sorry if we’re interrupting some kind of moment but we’re in trouble and we’d need your help, Ruby.” ‘ _WE_ ’? He said ‘ _WE’_? Yeap, too late to unsay it, act natural, Winchester, maybe Sam didn’t notice.

Ruby stands from the couch and goes to hug Dean winking at him in the process.

“We know, Castiel” Ruby says while taking Cas’ hands “My boss told me today. Your brothers took the MetaSteve case. Don’t worry. Don’t get too excited because there is a tiny twist but I got my firm to take your case. Catch is it’ll be full billable hours. So it’s up to you, dear, whether you can or you want to pay for it; Gosh, I know, it sucks. I am so sorry, Castiel” practical as she is, Ruby is used to present the facts and then see how they can be resolved.

Dean’s face is a grimace. It’s like someone punched him in the gut, he came with all his hopes put in Ruby and even when he knows she does her best, now he understands, the way it works makes Cas’ financial life go in jeopardy. He feels like crap so he just sits down.

Castiel stays in place petrified, shoulders down, as if way past any hope. Looking despondent, his blue eyes shining more than usual; knowing the color of those eyes by heart, Dean is pretty sure tears are forming.  

As Dean reaches out to take him down onto the couch and has him sit next to him, Sam and Ruby turn to look at Cas with little idea of what to say or do.

“Castiel, can you afford us?” Ruby finally cautiously asks.

“Well, no. Not me personally. No. Not even the restaurant. But I do have a trust fund for legal situations; I don’t know if the Angel’s Pit qualifies as one, though.” Cas considers.

“Well, we’ll check on that.” Ruby gets to the point, “We should start preparing our defense. Anyone sleepy? No? Good” And she orders “Hun, be a dear and clear the table, and get my briefcase from the study; Dean, with me, let’s make fresh coffee and get something to eat, it’s gonna be a long night” and noticing Cas numbed look “Castiel, breathe, buddy. We’ve got this”. And with that she disappears into the kitchen followed by Dean.

As soon as the door closes Ruby starts the coffee machine, deciding to go for regular coffee instead of espresso. Dean is reaching for the cookie jar on the counter when she punches him on the arm and waits for him to speak. Of course Dean won’t talk that easily… that’s if Ruby was someone else.

“Woah, sister, what was that for?” he turns jar in hand as if using it as a shield.

“Woah yourself, _dude_! What was all that about? You gotta tell me or I won’t stay focused on the case… you’re killing me, Dean! ‘ _We’re in trouble’_? You really thought I wouldn’t notice?” Ruby says almost in a whisper so Sam and Cas won’t overhear her.

“I dunno, we had a great time tonight. I mean, it was fun, with his friends and everything, it felt good. I am so fucking confused… well, maybe not  _confused_ ; I know I want him no matter what my brain tells me. I can’t stop thinking of him and that is killing me. I… I just don’t know what to do.” Ruby is staring at him, encouraging him to go on. “I kissed him tonight. I fucking kissed the guy! Never did anything of the sort or felt like this about a dude before. So maybe ‘ _confused’_  is not the term… ‘ _Terrified’_  would be more accurate.” Dean’s face redder with every word he says.

“Dean… oh, baby… stop doing this to yourself. You kissed him? Big deal. Did anything change? Did the sun stop rising or the Earth stop moving? The only thing that changed is the world inside your heart, Dean.” She places her hand on his chest “I can see it, I can fucking see it in your eyes. Is it a problem because he is a guy? You like him less?” Dean shakes his head and Ruby continues “What are you afraid of, then? Castiel being an Omega scares you?” And then Ruby gets Dean’s fears. It’s not about discrimination; not even about disliking the guy… it’s just…

“I know nothing about Omegas. Never thought I would be interested in one. What if I say or do something to offend him or, heaven help me, if I hurt him or myself?” Dean’s concerns more afloat and clearer now even to himself.

“Oh, baby… he’s just a guy!!! He can get pregnant, of course, but otherwise he is a full male. Look, let’s get through the night with all the legal crap. I’ll lend you a book tomorrow, alright? I can’t believe you two Alphas don’t know the first thing about designations… where did you and your brother grow up in? Under a rock?”

But she knows their story, of course, it’s just that she finds it hard to believe she has to go through this with her brother in law the same way she had to do it with Sam, whose medical knowledge was vast when she met him but about the  _meaning_  of being an Alpha, well MetaAlpha in his case, he knew nothing at all.

“Here, coffee and cookies… I am spoiling you, guys.” Ruby says and sits opening her briefcase and taking all the depositions out to read and compare. “Castiel, now dear, tell me everything that happened that night.” And she starts taking notes.

Castiel thinks for a moment, trying to remember if anything had gone out of the ordinary, “Nothing weird happened. All went pretty well… for a restaurant, of course. Restaurant kitchen can be quite chaotic, you know. Too many people handling food, coming and going to the stoves and ovens, carrying plates, the waiters bringing the orders, everybody shouting… it’s a mess… but it’s the way it is. Things fall on the floor, glasses break; now and then a plate with food is dropped. Only a person who works in a restaurant can understand what it means” He takes a moment to continue, looking for the right words. He cannot lie or omit anything to Ruby; she’s on his side, after all.

“Every plate that goes out of the kitchen is checked by the sous-chef and, sometimes, the chef himself. I personally checked every plate of your party that night, for example. Char was busy with the dessert and Jean Luc, the sous-chef whose name is actually Charles, was in charge of checking every other course but your table’s. You have to understand something, Ruby, we’ve been in business for almost three years now and  _this_  has never happened before, I mean, we’re very organized and careful. There’s no room for this kind of  _mistakes_ , if that’s what it was, of course.”

“I see… Well, I remember that right after I took his deposition, this Charles just left without a word. Have you heard from him again? Have you two always gotten along just fine or had any kind of argument before all this?” Ruby makes a note to have Kevin check this guy out.

“We’ve known each other since Culinary School, Charlie, Charles and me. We’ve never been friends with him per se but we’ve never had any major argument besides who’s the better cook. Although, he never got over I chose Char over him to be my business partner.” Castiel ponders.

“Well, isn’t that interesting.” Ruby writes something on her notebook “This is definitely a case for money, there’s not going to be any criminal charges, means no jail time or community service… so far so good. Let’s pray their part is kind enough to keep their mouths shut so we can avoid any bad publicity. Otherwise if this gets to the press, it won’t matter if we win the case or not, your restaurant will be at the spotlight. Losing this will mean not only losing the Angel’s Pit but also you would never be opening a restaurant again. Uh, let’s see” She looks at the papers, “We’ll need to speak with your brothers firm, Do you recommend anyone?”

“Easy, Lucifer is a can of worms; no, worms you’d probably can talk sense into, my brother lives up to his name. Talk to Emmanuel, but try to do it alone, he’s not himself when in the presence of Lucifer. He affects us all.” Castiel seems to shrink in size, as if ashamed.

Ruby pities him so she calls it a night. “Alright boys, time to go to bed, tomorrow it’s gonna be a long day and we need to be sharp and rested.” She says as they all stand up and start picking up the stuff from the table, “Let’s just get everything to the sink and go to bed. Cas, it’s too late for you to go home, we’ve got enough spare rooms for you to stay, and don’t say no.”

“No, really, that’s fine. I can’t abuse your hospitality, Ruby. I can get a taxi and go home.”

“Bullshit; Ruby’s right, Cas, it’s almost three and I won’t let you get a cab. You stay and that’s final” smooth, Winchester…

“Gee, okay mister. Thank you very much, Ruby and Sam”, he adds his name in a rush knowing he is being too cool with him invading his home with his problems and on top of that staying overnight. “I can’t start to thank you enough.”

“Please, Castiel.” Sam smile always too kind, “You are gonna be okay. Look, hun, what room can Castiel stay in?”

“Mhm let me see… the room across the hallway from Dean’s is ready. You could use that one… Dean, darling, could you show him the way? There’s a new toothbrush and shaving stuff if you need them; just feel free to use anything you may need, okay?” Ruby smiles at them and takes Sam’s hand to get him upstairs. “Have a good night” Says starting to go upstairs.

“Come on, Cas, let me show you your room.” And it takes all his control to stop himself from taking Castiel’s hand. And he wants to do it so badly. When they get there Dean points at his room without taking his eyes from Castiel’s and says “My room… I sleep there” and then turns Castiel by the shoulders and goes “And that’s your room… you sleep there, see? You’re safe” and smirks making Cas smile wider. Fuck.

“You okay with this? Need a sweatpants or something to sleep in?” Dean says.

“Yes, I’ll be fine, eventually. And that would be nice, please!” and Castiel hopes Dean would invite him to his bedroom to get him pajamas or something like that. Not his lucky night, though.

“Cool, wait here.” and he returns moments later sweatpants and t-shirt in hand.

“Well, that’s thoughtful, Dean.” Takes the clothes to his nose and breathes into them, “I’ll smell like you.” And the bluest eyes Dean has ever seen are looking right into his own. “I may not want to sleep but I sure wanna go to bed” Cas says with a playful smile, never breaking eye contact.

Dean had been holding his breath since the moment Cas took his clothes to his nose and could have fainted due to lack of oxygen if Castiel hadn’t been so bold.

“Someday, champ… you can bet on it, but not tonight. It’s too late and I am too freaking tired. See you tomorrow, ok?” But he doesn’t turn away… not just yet. He needs physical contact, Castiel is right in front of him and he is not gonna miss the chance. So Dean takes Cas by the waist, leans on to kiss his cheek; cupping the right side of his jaw Dean puts his lips on Cas’ forehead, barely touching the skin. He can feel Cas responding to his kiss, he’s taken by the waist as Castiel attempts to close any gap between them. Kissing Cas’ temple he whispers “You’ll be the death of me, babe.” He almost could feel Cas’ knees failing him, “Have a lovely night, blue eyes.” And breaking the contact Dean enters his own room.

Castiel stays there, Dean’s clothes in hand, aroused like a teenager and wondering if his pills are even working. His head is spinning and he can’t stop smiling like the Cheshire Cat… Maybe this is wonderland after all.

**

Dean cannot sleep any longer, he is aware it’s too early but he couldn’t care less and he is knocking on Castiel’s door. He leans on the door frame ready to wait a few minutes for Cas to answer but it took the guy only five seconds to get to the door shirtless, with a sleepy face and bed hair. Castiel looks confused and lost for waking up in a strange house.

Dean can hardly resist the urge to tuck Cas’ hair, his own mind coming to the rescue when he wonders how is it possible for this man to look so damn sexy at seven in the morning. He enters the room and closing the door goes to Castiel and strokes his cheek, kisses his forehead, his temple and breaks contact when he notices his own dick’s beginning to swell.

“D’you sleep well? How are you today?” and with a grin noticing his t-shirt on the pillow, “Did my clothes smell a lot like me?” Dean speaks way too fast from the other side of the room reclined on the window sill.

Castiel doesn’t answer, he won’t tell Dean he has dreamt of him all night. Instead he takes him by the elbow making his way to the other man’s hand until their fingers are interlaced, Cas’ other hand goes to Dean’s neck and approaching tentatively to his temple he says: “I’m fine”, his words blowing air into Dean’s skin making him shudder. Cas looks at Dean’s lips and licks his own.

Dean stands still, he twitches as if deciding what to do; would he stay and keep on doing whatever this is or would he leave, have a cold shower and jerk off while on it? Sounds like a plan… only Castiel is getting even closer and Dean can’t move, trying not to give in to his instincts and pull away. He wants… no, he  _needs_  to find out where this is going.

Cas plants tiny soft kisses on his way from Dean’s temple to his mouth, once there he looks into the other man sweet green eyes and touches his lips with the tip of his tongue exploring Dean’s limits, he finds none. Good. He keeps pushing it and starts biting the man’s lower lip, barely scratching it sending shivers to Dean’s spine. Cas eyes go from green eyes to the most kissable lips he’s ever seen and, heart pumping faster than ever, has to close his eyes and bite Dean’s upper lip.

This is it. Dean can’t take it anymore. He can’t stand still and wait; his own desire overwhelming him. He sets himself in motion and grabs Castiel hair with his free hand (none of them wanting to let the other man’s hand go, feels like an anchor and feels damn good). He pulls Cas’ head back and kisses the curve of his neck, soft and tender, tasting the bitter sweet of his skin and sighs. Their bodies are aligned so tightly they can feel each other’s erections and not even that is scaring Dean this time. He wants more, he wants it all.

Dean’s lips continue their way from Cas’ neck up to his ear, letting out a soft sigh making  Cas whimper, and then he whispers, “I told you, babe, you’re gonna be the death of me and I’m ok with it if it means you’d stay with me”

They look into each other’s eyes, clearly the wanting turning too much to bear.

Castiel smiles sweetly and asks, “Kiss me, please” in a soft tone, full of desire.

Dean smiles back and complies, starting a slow journey to Castiel’s lips, making him tremble with need. He breaks their entangled hands and grabs Cas’ small of the back to pull him even closer and reaching his lips Dean kisses him softly at first and then, passion overtaking him, kisses him like he wants to drink from the other man’s mouth and never stop tasting it.

Urging and tempting to deepen the kiss, Castiel parts his lips and lets his tongue caress Dean’s close mouth as if asking for permission to enter it.  At Dean’s whimper he takes the lead, inserts the tip of his tongue exploring the inside of that delicious mouth, touching his teeth and searching for his tongue. Dean is lost, he can’t think straight and he doesn’t want to, he wants more, he just lets the passion take over and now they’re one; body against body, their erections rubbing together through the fabric of their clothes, their tongues entwined and savoring every corner of each other’s mouth.

At a point they part panting for breath but they don’t let go. Still arm in arm they rest their foreheads together, eyes closed and hearts racing in their chests.

“This… this was… man, wow, I can’t even…” Dean tries to reason, and Castiel just smiles, happy beyond himself. “Cas, babe, I don’t understand what’s going on with me. I like women, so do you; I was not looking for anything but it is obvious our bodies like us like this” he says pushing his erection once again against Castiel’s, who groans and half closes his eyes as if challenging him to go on, “I’m not saying it’s wrong… because it felt good… hell, it felt like heaven, strange but awesome… so damned good I could keep on doing this all day”

Castiel takes Dean’s face into his hands, looking deeply into his beautiful green eyes and says, “Dean, stop trying to make sense out of this. Mating means heart, soul and body bonding. It’s all about seeking for physical, emotional and hormonal compatibility. It’s not about genitalia. It’s about feeling right, about bonding at a totally different level. It’s about looking for the perfect match and at this point it is obvious that we are.” Castiel answers.

“I see, Cas. I swear to God I wanna keep on doing this… it feels so freaking good.” Dean says touching Cas lips with his fingertip, wanting to resume the kissing more than anything else, “But I don’t know. I’ve always rebelled against the mating thing, been out of sync since I was a teen. But you… oh, man, you… you standing there shirtless, your body so perfect it is a gift for the eye, your bed hair is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen… you make me crazy… it makes me want to do things to you that I’ve never thought I would be wishing for…” he considers his words for a moment, absorbing the blue of Castiel’s eyes as if saving it for later, ”Yeah… this is not the end of this, so much I can promise” and now Cas is glowing “But not just now… We’ve got a long day ahead so…” he lets Cas go, feeling wrong but fighting back the sensation “I am gonna take a shower now… a very long shower, you do the same and meet me downstairs for breakfast, Cas” and smiles at the man who is looking at him adoringly, “Cas… I like the sound of it… Cas… yeap, I like it” and he leans to kiss Castiel again. Just a tiny little good bye kiss.

Watching Dean leaving, Castiel stands in the middle of the bedroom feeling happier than ever.


	11. Make believe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frida and I, Nani, want to thanks Patinesa for being our Beta. We love her... She starts on this episode and she will be reviewing the previous ones. So in a few days, when she finishes, we will tell you.

_Something that you said got into my head_  
_Here I am falling from the edge_  
_Waiting for the day I can run away with you_  
_Like angels on fire we burn the sky_  
_One kiss and we say goodbye_

 

♫“It’s Thursday… I’m in love”♫ Ruby sings while cutting bread for French toasts. She loves cooking and, for the time the family is there on vacations, she wants them to try every recipe she likes best. This is a new one, she tried it once some weeks ago and Sam had loved it. Ruby is sure the family is gonna love it too. It’s “ _Maple _bacon baked French toasts”;_  _Mrs Tran, Kevin’s mom, had given her the recipe to make sure his son would have his favorite breakfast from time to time; she knows Ruby and Kevin are good friends.

 It’s almost 8AM and everybody is at the table, Castiel included; well, almost everybody, Ash seems to have decided to stay in bed a little longer… that’s alright, he’s been behaving well lately so nobody mentions the fact that he is probably hangover and they just let him be.

The toasts are a hit, everybody likes them and Ellen is sure she will get the recipe later. Jo praises Ruby’s culinary skills but her eyes go from her big brother to the guy next to him. She notices they are sitting too close to each other and Dean seems in his best mood since they have arrived to California. He is definitely acting different and she wants to know why… she can push for answers later, Jo knows he is not gonna talk about it now with everybody present. Moments before she had looked at him with a  _WTF_  face and he had just shrugged like saying  _Why not_ and now Jo looks around as if asking for back up but food is too damn good and nobody is paying any attention to her. Even though seeing Dean so happy and playful is not a bad thing, Jo really wants to know the reason behind it.

Ruby’s eyes meet Dean’s and she smiles at him knowingly, she likes seeing him so relaxed and happy. It really suits him. Jo notices the code look between Dean and Ruby as if they’re hiding something; she thinks they are treating her like a child, nobody tells her anything and she hates that. Now she definitely has to stay in Cali just to show them she is a woman now, so mature, even all jealous and mad, she’ll show them.

Castiel is trying to get a bite of his toast but is unable to because Ellen won’t stop asking questions to him. “What’s with the restaurant?”; “How do you get the groceries delivered in time?” “Do you get any kind of special discount on meat? Where?”, “And, by the way, how nice having you at the breakfast table!” The woman doesn’t seem to need to catch for breath, she throws questions like arrows. For some reason Dean finds this very entertaining and hides a sly smile behind his toast. Bobby on the other hand, has been suspiciously quiet, has his gaze fixed on Dean with a frown like figuring out his older son. Dean plays the fool and pretends he doesn’t notice but internally he knows there’s a confrontation coming and he is not sure how he’s gonna handle it. He respects his old man but this is his life and no one will dictate how he has to live it. Well, perhaps his designation may have something to say about it, but he’ll cross that line when it’s needed.

Ruby, to Castiel’s relief, finally finds a gap in Ellen’s waterfall of questions and explains to the others that they had been working on Castiel’s case all night and that they had invited him to stay in one of the spare rooms so he didn’t have to take a cab. Of course Ellen and Jo start asking questions about the case and Ruby tries her best to explain everything and keep it simple enough for everybody to understand. Ellen begins to think she is gonna be a great mother one day and can’t help to smile at the thought of grandchildren to spoil. Grandchildren with her Sammy’s eyes and his tender childish smile, her heart bloated with pride at the fantasy.

Ellen loves these boys like they were her own. She may not have delivered them but she sure helped raising them and damn they turned out great. Sam is so strong and self-confident, he did great at school and is on his way to be one of the best doctors the hospital have ever seen, he has already found his mate and she is amazing too. Dean… well, Ellen is a little concerned about Dean. He’s done alright but the lack of love in his life makes her sad. He usually has a thoughtful expression that adds him ten years. But today he seems to glow, all relaxed and happy; he’s even laughing at Sam’s jokes instead of making faces and calling him names (she had quit trying to make them stop calling each other  _jerk_  and  _bitch_  years ago). She wonders what or who is responsible for the change.

 “This has been the best breakfast I have had in a long time, Ruby. Thank you very much for inviting me. You must show me the secret on these toasts, I know the original recipe but this has a twist I cannot place.” Castiel says making Ruby blush. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to the restaurant. I am pretty sure my associate is going to kill me if I get too late. Today’s meat delivery day and we have full house at noon. I better get going” and he says good bye to everyone heading to the door with the obvious intention to get a taxi.

He should have known better. Dean goes straight after him, excusing himself from the table and winning a grunt from Bobby, and there goes Ellen’s elbow into Bobby’s ribs and the look she gives him makes the old grumpy man very interested in the coffee in front of him, and he says no more.

 “C’mon, champ, lemme take you to the restaurant. Gotta get some spare parts downtown for my baby, anyway. Sammy!! Tell Ash to be ready, get him a jar of coffee or something, we’ll need to work on the Impala as soon as I get back. He’s not gonna be on his computer all day long again!”

 “Gotcha! Drive safe, Jerk!” Sam teases but instead of the usual  _Bitch_  he just gets a smile and now Sam is not so much confused as he is suspicious.

 

It’s a sunny day and both Dean and Cas enjoy the silent ride and each other’s company. A small turn of the head to check on the other, a smile and a good song on the radio, everything is perfect and they feel awesome. A few words are exchanged; both men unsure of whether they should mention what happened a couple of hours earlier or not. Should they talk about it? Should they act like it never happened and see where it goes next time they feel the need to jump into each other’s personal space? One thing is certain, this morning was not a one-time thing, the problem is neither of them has ever had this kind of experience before. They’ll figure it out somehow… someday. Dean feels great and won’t let his doubts cloud his happy moments with Cas. He’s resolved to enjoy every second of his company.

 Cas catches Dean peeking on him and smiles returning the gaze making Dean laugh, a little embarrassed but thankful for the silence being finally broken and they begin to talk about anything but their morning affair.

 A few blocks from the restaurant Dean decides to go for it so before he can give it a second thought he says “So, Cas, what’s it gonna be, uh? I’d really like to see you again. I mean, I still don’t know what this is but I sure wanna find out. What d’you think? You up for it?” and at these words Cas’ eyes get brighter and Dean’s heart bumps faster. Cas doesn’t answer until they are parked in front of the Angel’s Pit.

 “I would very much like to see you again, Dean” Says Cas almost in Dean’s ears when he leans on him to open the shotgun door from the inside “… how about I ask you to come back later… let’s say 3PM, here at the restaurant; we could have lunch with the crew, you know, safe environment and everything… or we can always go back to my place and have lunch on our own, it’s up to you.” Cas offers. And Dean whose hand is still on the door handle grins and gets closer to Cas placing a light kiss on the lips and begins to retreat but Cas is fast and grabs Dean by the hair and kisses him deeper for a few seconds. “A little something for you to think about”, and with that he leaves the car, leaving Dean spread in the front seat, numbed and horny as hell. Isn’t that nice…

 The atmosphere in the restaurant is electric and not in a good way. Char is shouting at everyone, Amy is crying in a corner while going through the menus to add the  _spécialité de la maison_ , Meg is organizing the pantry as if hiding from her girlfriend’s rage, Alfie is cursing because, once again, he has dropped the cutlery, also there is food on the floor gone to waste and the tables are not set yet. Just the usual mess but this morning it doesn’t irritate Castiel at all, he sees it all through a different crystal. And that’s just awesome.

 He approaches Charlie while she seems to be about to smack Alan, the delivery guy, because he had brought the wrong kind of meat. Cas winks at Alan and hugs Char kissing her temple as if trying to calm her and says “Hi, Char. How’s everything” and as soon as the words leave his mouth he knows it is the stupidest question ever.

 Char pushes him away, quite furiously. “How…? How am I? Seriously, Cassie? I AM TIRED AND FREAKING MAD!!!! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN? It’s 9 AM, the restaurant is already going to hell and you just come in like walking on the beach! THIS IS YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS, TOO!! The crew is acting crazy. We don’t even have a  sous-chef! It’s been a week already and we haven’t hired anyone, yet!!” She is now starting to hyperventilate, “And THIS” She shows him Lucifer’s letter and Castiel understands it had been a mistake not to tell Char about it before; it is her restaurant as much as it is his. “What the fuck is this, Cassie. When were you going to tell me about it?”

 “Char, c’mon friend. Cool down. Look, Amy is crying because you have probably shouted at her. Alfie is always dropping things, nothing new there. And you are right about the letter, I am sorry, it’s just that I actually found out about its content around midnight and I didn’t want to bother you. I thought it could wait until this morning.” Cas says apologetically.

 “Right… you were too busy with that Dean, weren’t you? THAT could not wait. THAT was urgent. Our future was not… Good for you, Castiel” Charlie’s eyes red and furious.

 “Yes, I was with him. He said I shouldn’t postpone it, I had been avoiding opening the fucking letter for hours, I had thought it was another Lucifer’s attempt to force me to come back to the family. I had been refusing to read it but HE said it was important and Dean read it for me “And now he is yelling back, oblivious that the whole crew is watching. “Then HE took me to HIS brother’s and got HIS sister in law to defend US”

 Char realizes she is probably overreacting; so, softening her voice, she gets closer to Cas and says “And then what, old friend? Tell me, what happened then? Because you are not coming from your place, that much I know” 

 Suddenly flushing red as a tomato he almost whispers “Then he kissed me and I let him do it… worse, I kissed him back” he finally confesses with a sigh.

 They sit at a table in the corner, away from everyone “Oh man, did you?… Castiel, you don’t even  _know_  the guy! He’s not even from here, he’ll eventually leave. Cassie, what are you doing, friend?” she takes his hands in hers and tries to be supportive but all she is capable of right now is to be protective as the Alpha she is.

 “You don’t think I know? But I needed to kiss him, it felt damn good. Felt so perfect that after finishing with the legal stuff I invited him to my bed and he kindly refused. And you still think he wants to take advantage of me? I couldn’t sleep thinking of him, thinking of his lips on mine.” Cas fears no judgement. “And this morning I kissed HIM, I kissed him like I’ve never kissed anyone before… I loved it and I wanted to stay there forever, kissing him and more. He’s more auto controlled and left before I could throw him onto my bed and make him fuck me right there.” Says in a quiet voice, as if talking to himself.

 Charlie now understands the kind of stress her friend is under. This is brand new for him and she is making it worse. “Oh Cassie, I am such a bad friend. Are you OK?  Do you want me to talk to him?” she wants to make it up for screaming at him earlier.

 “If you have a crystal ball to tell me what the hell this is, that would be helpful” Cas says in a deadpan “It doesn’t scare me at all. Kissing and touching feel so good, so right, so final… like it’s meant to be, so damn right.” And all of the sudden he wants to stop talking about Dean before he gets too deep into it and lose focus on the day chores. ”Anyway, as I said before, Ruby Shurley’s firm -she is not Mrs Winchester yet, they have just got engaged, by the way- Edlund-Shurley has taken our case, we’ll find out if my trust fund covers our restaurant part of the demand, otherwise we’re screwed”.

 “Let’s pray then, man. We won’t be able to afford even a crappy lawyer and that’s the naked truth.” And as if to put a final word to it, “And about Dean, my friend, promise me to think it through. He’s not local and you don’t know how long he’s gonna stay. I don’t want you to get hurt, even if unintentionally. Will you be able to ride it out if he’s gone?” and walks out the table to talk to Alan again, leaving Castiel to ponder over it.

 **

Back at the Winchesters’, Jo finally finds the guts to corner Sam at the kitchen and tells him “Can I have a coffee, too?”

 “Sure, girl, whassup?” turning to hand her a coffee mug to find her biting her lower lip “Okay… now I really need to know what’s going through your mind… Ellen’s been nagging you again? What was it about this time? Surfing? ”

 “What? No, no, she is fine… for now at least…” and then she decides to just say it, there is no easy way to bring it up anyway. “I need your help, Sam. Would you help me?”

 “You’re worrying me, Jo. What is it?” Now Sam is really concerned.

 “Don’t be, Sam. You know I love mom and I know the Roadhouse is home for us, I really like helping her there, but I want something more than just ditch drunks out and clean tables or serve booze to the guys and let them look at my butt or breast to get good tips”

 And now Sam is visibly uncomfortable with it, he had never thought his baby sister felt that way, used like he is to see her working at Ellen’s since forever. “I want something else; I’d like to have a career or at least a different job. I love cooking and mom won’t let me experiment at the Roadhouse; I feel like trapped and I hate it!” She takes a sip of coffee as if trying to find the words to make her point, “I love mom, and Ash and even Bobby; I hate that he and mom never decide to get together once and for all, but he is good to mom and I love him anyway… Lawrence on the other hand… I so fucking hate Lawrence, Sam. It’s never been the same since you two left. I got no friends, all I do is work and work and I can’t handle it anymore….”

“Jo, listen kid…”

“No, just let me finish before I chicken out.” The girl tells her giant surrogate brother, “I need you to let me stay here. I can find a job, contribute to the house and do my chores around here too, hell, I could even start community college for all I want! Mom will never allow me to stay if you don’t agree to receive me here, she trusts you.” And Sam looks down tenderly at her sister, can’t do anything but nod and in no time he finds the little blond wrapped around him and stars laughing.

 “Alright… alright… of course I am gonna help you, I’d love to have you around and I know Ruby will be delighted to have another girl to gossip around and go shopping and whatever you girls do when together. But if Ellen kicks my ass you’re gonna be on your own in no time… she still terrifies me when mad.”

 “Don’t be stupid, Sam. She loves you so much she’d say yes to anything you ask her. Please say you will ask her.” Now Jo is pleading.

 “Oh, you know I will, kid. I love you and it makes me really happy that you wanna stay with us. I’ve missed you so much” Sam says kissing her forehead.

 **

In the TV room Dean is having some quality time with Bobby. He understands the man’s discomfort with what he knows or  _thinks_  he knows Dean is doing around this guy from the restaurant, not that Bobby really  _knows_  anything for certain but the old man is no fool. Still the confrontation Dean had thought Bobby was planning is not happening… for the time being. For that Dean is grateful.

 “Bobby… isn’t it nice being around Sammy again? I didn’t know I missed him so much… I mean, we talk on the phone every week but actually sharing time with him… man, I so missed that…” he tests Bobby and the man is not stupid, he already knows what his son is gonna say, but he keeps his mouth shut because Ellen is already threatening him by just looking at him. Dean notices and if he were not so nervous about this he would be laughing “I was thinking of staying a little longer… spend time with Sam and Ruby, hang around for a few more weeks… do you mind if I return to the car shop a couple of weeks later? I could get Garth to help you until I get back.”

 “What, and be stuck with Garth talking through his sock puppet? I can handle it myself, boy, been doing it since before you came to live with me.” and Dean relaxes… a little too soon. “But tell me, idjit, how are we supposed to go back, uh? You dragged us in that car of yours till my butt lost its crack and now you just ditch us?”

 “Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Bobby. We can take a plane; leave the poor boy to bond with his brother. And also we could stay a couple of days longer and be at Lawrence by Wednesday; Roadhouse is hired to throw the Clusterman’s birthday party by Friday, it’s gonna be mostly booze and burgers so I can organize everything in two days, got it all planned already anyway…. You could stay and leave to Sioux Falls by Sunday…” She winks at Dean and he doesn’t know if kissing her for making Bobby shut up or just drop dead so he doesn’t have to think about the implication of Bobby staying at the Roadhouse with Ellen for a few days. How about these two get together for good and spare their sons, by blood and surrogates, the mental images.

 Fortunately Sam comes to rescue Dean from his own thoughts and sitting at the couch arm he says “Hey guys, Benny just called. We’re invited to his bar this Friday; it’s a nice place… everybody in?”

 “Bar? What bar? Who cares! I am SO in!” Ash comes out of nowhere and scaring the shit out of Ellen who curses and slaps him in the head.

 “Of course we’ll go, dear” She tells Sam.

**

It’s ten minutes to 3PM and Dean parks in front of the Angel’s Pit and stays in the car deciding whether he should enter and check on Cas or just wait there. He doesn’t have to puzzle over it for too long. A knock on the car window wakes him up from his thoughts and he rolls the glass down smiling at Cas as he leans on to kiss Dean through the open window.

 “Thinking about my proposition, Dean?” Castiel is in a very good mood, “So, what’s it gonna be? My place or the restaurant? Your call, baby… I mean Dean” his face reddens so fast Dean thinks Cas has no blood in any other part of his body. Dean wants to hug the guy and stay in his arms forever.

 “Actually, Cas, I was thinking neither” Dean answers and Cas’ face, transparent, shows he is worried, “How about we go to the beach and watch the waves crush? I love the ocean and I don’t get the chance to go very often… wonderland resident, remember?” Says, pointing the index finger to himself and allowing Cas to relax and smile.

 “And that makes you Alice?” Cas deadpans, the man is a master, “Neutral place, I like it. Here, give me 5 minutes and I’ll bring something to eat, park the Impala in the restaurant space. It’s safer than leaving it here on the street. The beach is 3 blocks away, we can walk. Be right back!”

 Cas is out of the restaurant ten minutes later with a bag full of food, a six pack and a table cloth to use as a picnic mat. It is obviously not Castiel’s first beach picnic, but then again, the man has grown up here by the beach so it’s only logical.

 Dean takes the bag from Cas’ hands and carries it himself only to have something to do with his hands and that way fight the instinct that tells him that holding Castiel’s hand is the natural thing to do.

 Once at the deck and before getting into the actual beach Cas tells Dean to take out his shoes and socks and only then they enter the sand. The sensation is exquisite, the warm sand feels great and Dean begins to wish he would never have to leave the seashore. The smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves and the warmth of the golden sand feel totally different from what it felt days ago when he came with the family. It’s like everything looks brighter, more colorful and better.

 They set the table cloth on the sand to sit on and enjoy the view; Castiel is looking at him with his head slightly tilted and a smirk that makes Dean want to be alone to kiss him, and as if he could read his mind he says “A penny for your thoughts” and then handling a cool beer, “Well… maybe two pennies”

 Dean opens his beer and he toasts to the ocean, Cas gives him a broad smile and when Dean finds his eyes he can’t tell them apart from the water or the sky… couldn’t tell which one is the bluest. Dean’s money is on Cas’ eyes.

 Taking a sip of beer and accepting a sandwich he says, “I was thinking of how peaceful it is here and how great it is enjoying your company even in silence. Never happened to me before, you know…” his train of thought fails him when he sees a gorgeous blonde running after a Frisbee right in front of them and watching her go he notices Cas is staring at her too, obviously enjoying the view; they laugh at being caught by each other peeking on a girl, obviously by the force of habit because when they turn to look into each other’s eyes the rest of the world disappears. Dean takes Cas’ hands in his and starts rubbing his wrists “Would you mind if we just sit here in silence? Share with me the view and enjoy this?” he says showing the beach, “Moments of peace like these are very rare in my life”

 Castiel looks at Dean deeply in the eyes, as if trying to figure out if he is being honest…. A few seconds later he decides he is and Cas kisses Dean on the cheek, soft and chaste, never letting the other man’s hands go.

 There they stay, hand in hand, eating delicious sandwiches, drinking beer and enjoying the sight. No matter what the future brings, this moment is golden. This is the time when they find out that this -whatever it is-, is way more than physical. This is a moment to cherish, to keep and remember, because it is a moment when the only desire is to be with each other doing and saying nothing.

 They have all the time of the world in their hands. They can talk later.


	12. Feels like home

_I've been all around, all round the world_  
Every single part, every part of the world  
Touching down in Rio, Monaco, LA, Tokyo,  
But it all just feels like home  
And it all still feels like home

 

It’s Friday Morning and Dean hasn’t figured out yet a way to tell his brother he’s gonna stay for a while… a month… probably a season… who knows for how long. It’s not that Dean doesn’t know  _how_  to say it... problem is he doesn’t know what to say if he asks him  _why_. His relationship with Castiel, whatever it is, is not something he is willing to discuss, least with his brother, of all people.  Cas is quite a reason to stay, but coming out to his baby brother or his family is something Dean has do very carefully; not because they would be disappointed at him but because when he tells them, he wants to be comfortable with the situation himself, and so far, it’s all brand new and he just needs time to adjust to the idea of a male mate.

He’s going to go for the chicken exit and tell Sam he just wants to spend more time with him and Ruby; that he feels the need to stay in one place for a while instead of going around the country when Bobby’s repair shop has no car for him to work on. Living with Bobby, Dean doesn’t have to pay rent and he uses almost all his money for gas and food when he feels the need to hit the road to think about whatever he’s obsessed with at the time. The truth is he really misses spending time with his brother; they have been apart since Sam went to college, MetaAlpha as he is, at 14. Spending time with Sam is a bonus point; Dean thinks nobody knows his ultimate reason. He’s so cute.

Heading from the garage to the kitchen and thinking to take a beer and continue to work on the Impala (he’s been working on  _Baby_  more and more every day, just to keep his mind busy) he suddenly bumps into Sam. Dean was looking at the floor the way he does when he’s dealing with an important decision; Sam knows that and wonders what may be troubling his big brother.

Dean had seen Sam approaching… it is now or never. Deep breath and a smile.

“Hey, Dean! Everything ok?” If Sam was trying to be subtle he could have fooled no one.

“Hey! Yeah, I am fine. Good to see you; actually I was thinking of going and talking to you. Got time, now?” Sam nods and Dean, trying to sound casual says “I was wondering Sam, would you mind if I stay a little longer than I planned? I mean, I feel great here and I’ve missed you big time. We haven’t really spent more than a week at a time together every now and then since you were what? Fourteen? Maybe it’s time to make it right… I mean, if it’s ok with you, of course” Dean spills fast enough to make Sam suspicious.

“Go figure… so it’s  _team up_  time with Jo again, Dean? Or is it just good timing? You guys couldn’t be more alike if you were blood brothers!” now Dean’s look is puzzled and Sam laughs “Ok… Ok. Maybe you don’t have anything to do with it after all; thing is she’s just asked me the same thing; she wants to stay and study or work. Imagine how much she wants to stay that she even promised to do housework, as if we didn’t have Sally for that! She just wants to escape the Roadhouse, so far I can tell… now you, Dean, on the other hand, I can’t exactly see  _why_  you wanna stay, and don’t get me wrong it’s not that I don’t miss you because I do, I really do; but you, brother, you have another reason for staying and I will find it out… I promise … I will” He smiles at Dean “Of course you’re welcome to stay for as long as you want… nothing could make me happier than having my two brothers at home, all three together again at last”

Dean clears his throat and, trying to take the attention away from himself, says “So the little mouse is trying to leave the nest, uh? Ellen should be so happy; she is going to find a thousand excuses and Jo will have to go back to Lawrence. Did Jo ask you to talk to her?” Sam snorts and nods, Dean sighs in understanding and says “Just… just leave me out of it…ok?  I like my balls exactly where they are and the same size, thank you”

“Yeah, I know… I’ll talk to Ellen later, I am sure she will listen to me… or so Jo thinks… Now I’m gonna start lunch” and turns towards the kitchen.

Dean almost yells “Wait!! Hope you don’t mind but I am not in the mood for rabbit food. Give me a sec and I’ll call a place that makes the best burgers in town.” Sam smiles thinking he doesn’t need Ruby’s psychic abilities to read Dean right now, so he just agrees and leaves him, cell phone in hand, calling Castiel.

“Hey Cas! Hello, Babe. Look, could you make 7 burgers like the ones you made the other night? Yeah, fries too. Got any pie?... You do? Awesome, dude! I’ll be there in an hour” he listens for a few seconds and with a sweet smile says...” Yeah, me too” and stays in the middle of the backyard smiling at the phone for a couple of minutes, and when he realizes he looks around to check if anybody’s seen him. He runs to the kitchen and says to Sam “It’s all set, bro, I’ll pick up lunch in an hour. Best burgers ever!”

 

**

Dean knocks at Ruby’s desk “Ruby, hi! I was just talking to your husband…” Dean’s distractedly saying but gets interrupted.

“You see a wedding ring in my hand,  _Jerk_?” Ruby smiles.

“Oh, so you like to play dirty, don’t you, sis?… you know what the answer to that is… I still don’t know you all that well to call you  _Bitch_  so….” Dean leaves the subject open.

“Yeah, I’d like to see you try, boy!” Ruby says laughing hard now “C’mon, spill it out or maybe you want me to use my powers?... I am a trained witch, you know…”

“I believe you!” Now Dean is amused and relaxed, so he goes on “As I was saying,  _Miss Wicked Witch of the West_ , I’ve just talked to Big Foot because I feel like staying for a while… no expiration date. It’s been a while since I last spent some time with Sammy, other than a week, and these past few days hanging around you, guys… well, I kinda felt like home, you know…” He gives an inquisitive look but can’t keep on talking because Ruby jumps to his neck and hugs him tight.

“HONEY, I LOVE YOU!... You’re my second favorite person in this house… but, dear… D’you think I’m stupid? I know you miss your brother and I’ll love to have you around but  _THIS_  has to do with Castiel. You need to find out what this is and I am with you a hundred per cent. You can count on me with anything you two may need… and I know your brother would feel the same way… “She winks at him “Don’t panic, dear… still our secret.”

**

Baby is roaring under his feet and that sound has never failed to make him feel he’ll never be homeless. That sound always makes him want to lose himself on the road; let the engine cradle all his fears away… only today there is none.

Today Castiel is in his life and, come what may, he just wants it to be true. He’s having feelings for the guy which he would only admit to Ruby and to nobody else; not because he is ashamed of the Omega, but because he’s still internally debating what those feelings are. He only knows that whatever that is… it’s big; more than that, it’s right; and hell, it should be freaking him out. Strong feelings for an Omega male… and  _womanizer_  Dean is more than Ok with it, not only OK, he is willing to stay in LA for a whole season… maybe two… maybe more, only to be close to Cas.

But staying means planning; he would need to provide for himself, he’ll need a job. Auto mechanics is his area of expertise and his passion but he could also do lots of other things, like…. Uhm…Like… Well, he’ll figure it out. He hopes. He broods about the classes he took at the Community College: cooking, basic account classes and some others… Dammit, he can’t stay focused, now he is fantasizing about cooking with Cas. Maybe Ruby could give him a hand and hire him as a messenger or something like that at her uncle’s firm. Hell, he could even be the coffee boy. Dean laughs at the thought. 

The first thing he encounters when entering the Angel’s Pit is Charlie’s suspicious eyes. Dean can tell the redhead is not convinced of his intentions towards her friend, but he understands she doesn’t mean any harm so he just nods at her and yells at the girl behind the counter “Hey Meg! I got a takeout order… is it ready, yet?” smiling at her and purposely ignoring the fact that he can feel Charlie’s eyes stabbing his back.

“What?” Meg says confused by Dean’s request and as she checks the takeout orders for the day and shakes her head “There’s nothing here and Castiel didn’t tell me anything, sorr…”

But Dean is already in motion and going straight to the kitchen door, ignoring Charlie who’s trying to stop him. “Sorry, girls, gotta check what happened to my order.”

Castiel is absently packing an order with his back to the door and doesn’t hear Dean’s voice, but as soon as Dean crosses the door he senses him and starts feeling dizzy so he waits a few seconds before turning around to face his mate. At the same time Dean seems to take the same few seconds to admire Cas' figure; he is so handsome he could stay watching him work for hours. Dean takes Cas from the back by the waist and places a soft kiss in Castiel’s curve of the neck, making his skin bristle.

“Got my order ready, baby?” Dean winks at Cas when he turns to face him with a grin, “My people are waiting and really hungry”

Cas takes a couple of bags from the counter and hands them to Dean with a wide smile “Your order is ready, your Highness” He teases not even trying to take his gaze from those incredibly green eyes.

“Yeah! That’s what I am talking about, Babe! You’re awesome!” He gets closer to Cas with the intention of kissing him again but as he is almost touching his lips they hear the door opening and something being dropped to the floor… that would be Alfie and his butter hands so Dean gives a quick and tiny kiss to Cas and parts from him before the boy finishes lifting the sushi sticks he had thrown, “Well, thank you, Cas. I’ll pay to Charlie” and when Cas is ready to grumble, “I said I’ll pay, the restaurant needs it. You can invite me any time you want but not if I order out, and that’s final, Cas”

Dean waits for him to agree or at least say something, but Cas is too distracted by the freckles on Dean’s nose bridge to think properly, he smiles thinking he’ll count them all one day and nods, he just hopes he didn’t agree to anything too embarrassing.

Dean laughs because he can tell now what Cas might be thinking, so he winks at him and is about to leave when he remembers “Oh, yes! I almost forgot! Two things: You remember Benny, right, Sam’s friend? Well, he invited us tonight to his club for some drinks. You want me to pick you up around 10PM?”

“Sorry, Dean, but tonight is my turn to close so I can’t leave before midnight. Charlie has closed two days in a row and I can’t ask her to do it again”

“As the master orders… I’ll come around 12, be ready, ok?” Dean says biting his lower lip trying to fight down the need to kiss Cas again. But then Alfie leaves the kitchen and Dean goes for it before they get interrupted again; he invades Cas’ personal space grabbing him by the waist, both men eager and comfortable in each other’s arms; Cas looks up to meet Dean’s eyes and licks his own upper lip. Dean feels he’s losing his mind “Teasing again, Babe?” he smiles and kisses Cas tightly, looking for more as he deepens the kiss pressing their bodies together. There is nothing around them, the whole world has disappeared. An eternity goes by for them while for the rest of the humanity only a few seconds have passed.

“Damn, I have to go… I wish I could stay here forever but the family is waiting, if I keep on kissing you I am gonna forget my own name” Dean says, reluctantly stepping out of Castiel’s arms, leaving Cas mute, sad eyes full of lust. He admires Dean’s self-control and wishes he could be like that too. He wonders now how is he going to go through the day at the restaurant until Dean comes for him.

“Ooh, I almost forget! Ruby said you have to come back to her place… legal stuff to go through. Can you come over this afternoon?” Cas hasn’t still found his voice so he just nods and smiles. Dean smiles back, thanks him for the food and for his kisses and leaves the kitchen keeping the door open for Alfie to go back in.

Dean sees Meg at the cash desk and heads towards her, but as he passes by Char he stops and leans on her ear and whispers “I don’t know what this  _Cas and Me_ thing is, I have no idea where this is going but I plan to stick around long enough to find out. And don’t worry, I’d rather smash my head against a wall than go and try to hurt him. Please, trust me.” He kisses her cheek and as if remembering something “oh and if you tell him any of this, I’ll deny it”

Looking into his eyes with a crooked little smile, Charlie says “We’ll see, Dean… we’ll see”

**

Back at Sam’s, Jo and Ellen are at anything but a nice conversation. The young girl, against her own interest, couldn’t keep her mouth shut. And now Ellen is all mad, shouting and demanding to know who put the idea of staying in California in her head. Her money is on Dean, of course.

“ _YOU! COME OVER HERE, RIGHT THIS MOMENT, YOUNG MAN_!” she shouts at Dean as soon as he enters the door, lunch in hand. He sighs and obeys because he knows better than to argue with Ellen when she’s mad. He is really fond of his own balls, thank you. “How dare you teaming up with your sister to stay here, leaving me alone in Lawrence?”

“Oh, no! No, ma’am.  I know nothing about it, I swear. You know what? I don’t even wanna know who’s plotting with whom about what. I’ve got my own mess to figure out” his voice rising at a point of disrespect so he controls himself  “Besides, Jo is not stupid, your daughter knows I would not plot with her again, not after the last time I helped her to sneak out and take her dancing. I was already twenty and you grounded me for a week… and I freaking obeyed you. So, thank you, but no, thank you.” Dean turns around, his face red, and heads to the kitchen to give Sally the food and grab a beer.

A few minutes later Sally calls for lunch and Ellen decides to take the argument to the lunch table. She can’t let go nor postpone it for later, her baby wants to stay and she needs to know who’s behind this decision. Nobody grabs a bite of burger except for Ash. Bobby wants to speak but angry-Ellen scares the shit out of him so he plays with his baseball cap instead.

Sam decides to put an end to this. Dean looks amused as his baby brother sets in motion his big puppy eyes and childish smile, he tells Ellen he and Ruby were really happy that Jo had decided to stay with them, and he gives Ellen many reasons why this is a good idea; like Jo needs to learn to live her life, get a different job and even make friends. This could be temporary, a good experience to enrich her life. And, a bit reluctantly, Ellen agrees, just as Jo had planned. She has conditions though; Jo has to find a job ASAP, she has to help around the house and contribute to the house economy; also she needs someone to take care of her, Sam and Ruby work all day long and very hard and she needs someone to keep an eye on her. Jo begins to complain, she is a grown up girl and needs no chaperone; but Ellen doesn’t care about her opinion, she has set her conditions and is not gonna change her mind. Everybody at the table knows that and nobody is willing to contradict her. So, no chaperone, no staying.

Jo looks down at the table and is about to cry… harder.

Dean takes pity of his little sister and since he is already staying he decides to take a shot.

“Look Ellen, I know you think I am not responsible enough and a few years ago you’d had been right, but I’m older now and I’ve changed. I am staying in California as well… and no, Jo did not know that, nobody did, well, Sam and Ruby did, but no one else. I can take an eye on her. I’m looking for a job already… Please, Ellen, the girl just wants to have a life of her own, I can take care of her. Please say you trust me.” And Dean doesn’t know if he is asking his mother to trust him of taking care of Jo or trust him on him being a responsible man now. Either way, he prays she says yes.

 There’s silence at the table when Sally comes with more beer for Ash and Bobby, so she just leaves the bottles on the table and goes back to the kitchen to get the dessert ready, in case there are survivors from the war that seems to have been declared there.

Ellen meets Dean’s eyes and smiles. That makes him feel better, he loves this woman as a mother even when he never calls her that, and having her trust him again is like confirming she feels like that too.

Jo knows she’s won. A small victory, half her plan is good to go; she’ll start community college but that announcement can wait. So far she is happy with settling with her brothers and getting a job. The three brothers in the same house, she couldn’t be happier and goes to hug her mom.

Finally the mood is getting lighter and they start eating.

“Oh my Gosh! Where did you get these burgers, Dean-o? They’re incredible!” Ellen cannot believe there’s a better burger than hers.

“Castiel’s” Dean proudly answers, “He cooked them personally, his own recipe as I understand. They’re good, uh?... yeah… really good” repeats, smiling to himself, or so he thinks.

“Oh, yeah… best-burgers-ever” Says Sam, winning a mean look from Ellen, and with a little shru


	13. I Need You Tonight

Open up your heart to me  
And say what's on your mind, oh yes  
I know that we have been through so much pain  
But I still need you in my life this time

It’s Friday 4PM and the house is almost silent; only the sound of the grandfather clock ticking its seconds away, Bobby’s laughing at the TV show he is watching cuddled in Ellen’s arms on the couch, Dean’s reading a car magazine, Ash and Jo are on their computers, Jo on Facebook and Ash… well, nobody knows what Ash does on his computer, Sam and Ruby are whispering words of love and making out in the kitchen while they wait for the coffee to be ready. Little sounds any family makes while sharing time; things that make Sam happy. He has spent most of his life wishing for an ordinary family life, not an apple pie life but just a  _normal_  one. He’s found it with Ruby but his happiness is not complete without his own family around. Today Sam is truly happy at last knowing his siblings will stay. He wishes it could last forever.

The ringing doorbell breaks the afternoon family peace. Sally opens the door to a very pissed off Castiel; she doesn’t really know the man and yet she finds that extremely weird, the few times she had seen him in the house he had always seemed to be cool and comfortable to be around.

“Hello, Sally, is Ruby home? I have an appointment”, Castiel is crossed and cannot hide it.

“Of course, please come in, I’ll let Ruby know you’re here” Sally turns heading to the kitchen but Sam is already there with a concerned look.

“Hey, Cas, is everything OK?” Always a nice guy.

“Hello, Sam. Uhm, no. As a matter of fact I am not but it’s a restaurant issue. Sorry, these things affect me a lot, I shouldn’t mind this much… it’s just that I can’t help it, the Angel’s Pit is very important to me. Please forgive me.” Cas thinks he should have taken some time to cool down before coming to the Winchester’s but he didn’t have the time, he has to come back to the restaurant for the evening shift.

“it’s OK, you’re under too much stress, can I get you something to drink? Coffee… something stronger, perhaps?” says Sam, putting a hand on Cas’ shoulder.

“I appreciate it, Sam. A coffee would be nice.” Cas accepts the offer while walking into the living room on the way to Ruby’s office while Sam goes for the coffee.

Dean not so much  _hears_  Cas’ voice than he  _feels_  him and jumps from the couch like pushed by a spring and that only brings four pairs of eyes to himself so, playing cool even when his heart is trying to leave his chest, he goes to Castiel:

“Hey, Cas! Ruby’s waiting for you in her office… let me take you there” and the fact of Dean coming closer  _does_  something to ease Cas’ tension.

Once they are out of the family scrutiny Dean asks “Babe, what happened? You look like shit”

Cas, sighing, says “One of our waitresses quit a couple of hours ago, we’re fully booked for tonight, we haven’t hired a sous-chef yet… I think tonight I will not only be cooking but also working the tables… I might be dancing to entertain the clientele as well…” he adds with a bitter laugh.

“I could probably help, Cas”

“What? You wanna cook, work the tables or dance?” He feels way more relaxed now, chit-chatting with his mate.

“You bet I could leave your clientele amazed by my moves but no; I used to beat Jo at getting tips when doing the tables at the Roadhouse… but still no… keep on dreaming, Cas” the banter comes easy, distracting Castiel from his problems. He loves what they do to each other. “I was about to tell you that Jo is a certified waitress, she’s been working at the Roadhouse since she was 14… she was so good not even the police cared about her being under aged. I taught her everything she knows. The kid’s decided to stay in California and is looking for a job. You don’t have to hire her permanently. Just a temporary thing, you know, to help you through the day. No obligation, of course.”

“That’d be amazing, Dean! Gimme a second, let me talk to Char” and taking his phone out of the pocket he dials Charlie’s number. “Char, hi , yes. I am at the Winchesters’. Look, Dean’s sister is looking for a job and she is a waitress… yes… of course… I’ll ask her if she can start right away… yes… told you something would come up and resolve it… see you in a few.” He pockets his phone back and turns to face Dean again. “Done, sorry about that Dean, Char is a little sensitive about the restaurant so it’s better if she feels I didn’t take the decision without consulting. Do you think Jo will be ok with this? We haven’t even asked her.”

“Are you kiddin’, Cas? She’s gonna be thrilled! JOOOOOOO!!! Joanna Bet, get over here, girl!” Dean shouts at the top of his lungs without breaking visual contact with Castiel.

“WHAT? We’re not in Lawrence, dude! Stop yelling! I was doing something important! What is it?” Jo is upset not only because she was interrupted while chatting with a guy she likes but also for seeing Castiel there, standing so close to Dean.

“If you could stop being such a brat I would tell you that Castiel here wants to hire you for the day, at least, to work at his restaurant doing the tables.” Dean gives her a mean look. “But If chatting with your  _boyfriend_  is so damn important… well, you can go back to that.”

Jo couldn't believe her luck. “Really? Me? Work at your restaurant? Dude, that’s amazing! Mom will have no excuses now. Castiel, thank you! When do I start?” She is almost hyperventilating now.

“How about you go ahead now, Char is waiting for you to start right away. And as soon as I finish with the legal stuff your brother’s fiancée has to discuss with me I’ll be there as well. We can talk the conditions and the salary tonight after we close, what do you think?”

“I think I am gonna kiss you, Castiel! Thank you! I’ll get ready and leave to the restaurant in 15 minutes.” Jo kisses Cas on the cheek, and while bumping his arm she winks at Dean and says “I don’t have a boyfriend, you dumbass.” While going to her room to change clothes, she yells “MOM! POINTS ONE AND TWO CHECKED!” and climbs the stairs laughing.

**

Dean and Cas reach Ruby’s office door both smiling at Jo’s joy when they hear her telling her mom and Bobby the good news. They’re there and Dean should be returning to the TV room and Castiel should enter the office but none of them seem to be able to move, staring at each other as if pulled by an invisible force that none of them is willing to fight… or perhaps just eye-fucking each other…Dean makes the first move, how couldn’t he… Castiel is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. His hand goes through Cas’ temple, cupping his cheek. He can’t help but return his sweet smile: “Oh, Babe, I want to kiss you so bad right now”, making Castiel’s heart skip a beat.

Leaning over Cas, he whispers into his ear “But not just this second, though I wish I could… too many people around” and kisses him on the cheek as he knocks on the door at Castiel’s back. Such a teaser.

**

  
Sam has joined the family at the TV room, bringing coffee for everyone. They’re talking about Jo’s new job and the plans for the weekend. Only Sam’s eyes are set on his big brother once he’s back with them; something in him has changed, he’s up to something and Sammy couldn’t miss his fiancée and his brother gossiping around these past few days, the secret whispers… but no… It can’t be… not Dean… Only, it  _could_  be Dean. Sammy hates not knowing, he definitely has to talk to his brother, investigate a little, go deeper into his head… why not coaxing him and getting the truth once and for all. It has to be today, he can’t take it anymore. He  _has_  to know.

The show they’re watching is over and Bobby sets a soft kiss onto Ellen’s corner of the mouth and that was enough for Dean to get up and say: “I am gonna start dinner, now.” And pointing at his surrogate parents he says “You guys enjoy…  _this_ ”, which gets a grunt from Bobby but they all hum in approval, since he is a fine cook and had promised to make a very special dinner today. Sam sees the opportunity and follows Dean into the kitchen.

“I’ll join you, Ruby’s always complaining about my lack of culinary skills so maybe it’s time to learn from my big brother.” Right, Dean will buy that.

“Drop it, Sam. Save the crap and tell me what’s eating you up. Spill it.” Dean’s not comfortable with this at all, he’s far from stupid and he knows what’s next.

“What? Is it so weird that I want to spend time with you? I can’t stay there with Ellen and Bobby while they’re… you know.” Sam shakes his head like trying to get the image away. “Look, Dean, there’s something about you I cannot come to decipher yet. It’s not a Meta thing but I have never had any trouble reading you. I can tell you’re up to something and I wanna know… I just don’t understand why you share stuff with Ruby and not with me… have I done anything to offend you? We’ve always trusted each other… “

“C’mon Sammeh, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” Dean takes the minced meat from the fridge to avoid facing his brother.

“Yeah, right. Dean, you raised me, nobody knows you like me, I’d appreciate if you stopped bullshitting me. I told you it’s not a Meta thing; I can  _see_  you’re worried and last night you just showed up with Castiel at two in the morning. So what? Did you meet on the street? I don’t think so. And today he comes in and you jump as if he came to see  _you_. And, man, don’t get me started at the way you look at him… I can tell there’s something there. Do I have to keep on guessing, Dean? Don’t you trust me anymore?”

“Sam, it doesn’t have to do with trust. I… I just don’t know what this is or what I am doing. All I know is that Castiel could lose his restaurant  _and_  his family… well, part of it at least. You understand he could lose all he’s worked for? How shouldn’t I be pissed off? You tell me because I don’t have a clue, Sammy.”

“But, Dean… I am concerned about Castiel’s situation as well, but you don’t see me walking around with that sad look of yours.” Sam tries not to be too aggressive but he can hardly contain himself. If he doesn’t get a confession from Dean today, he’s gonna have to charge on Ruby… again.

“I went to the Angel’s Pit last night, alright? I had dinner with Castiel and some of his friends. That’s why I came back home with him when we found out about the law suit, I thought Ruby might be able to help him.”

“Wait… hold on. You went to the restaurant  _to meet his friends_?” Sam smirks, his eyes open really big and the lips curve in a smile that is very close to a smirk.

“Jesus Fucking Christ”, Dean whispers to himself, “Is everybody gonna ask me the same damn question?” Blushing red, he turns to Sam and says “Look, I went to the restaurant and had dinner… it was  _not_  a freaking  _date_ , ok?”

“Never said it was, Dean… relax, man.” But only then, right that second, he finally understands Ruby’s secret. Oh, he’s gonna make her pay…

Last night he had tried to make her talk; he was tired of acting like he didn’t care that she was keeping a secret from him, he needed to know what was going on. He had tickled her all around- and he knows she hates that-… he started a pillow fight only to make her loosen up a bit. Hell, he even tried to blackmail her with really kinky stuff but she played the fool (it probably had to do with Sam falling for his own tricks, though), “I am not keeping any secrets, Sam, stop it!” But Sam knows better, she’s  _his_  mate and he senses the change in her when she tries to divert. So then he played mad and, of course, he failed; he can’t keep a mad face when looking at Ruby. For a moment he thought of using sex as a weapon but he discarded it immediately, he could never do that to Ruby; that’s a line he would never cross. So he just gave up and gave in to her, she was so sexy lying there in bed that he forgot all about her secrets and went to her already aroused and they made love. More like sex: fast, quick, needy sex; _we-have-relatives-at-home_ sex; but they know Alpha sex is never that fast, so with Sam knotted inside her and draining orgasm after orgasm out of her and with his cum filling her up, Sam absentmindedly said “Please, baby, you know you can trust me.”

Right in the middle of her third orgasm and on the pick of her falling she stammered “His mate” and her eyes got wide and mad. Sam wasn’t sure if mad at him or at herself and, as a matter of fact, he really didn’t want to know.

“You tricky bastard, I am not gonna say another word. You wanna know? Go and find out yourself, Mister MetaAlpha!” Free of his knot at last and mad as hell, she got up to clean herself, got dressed and left the room before Sam found the guts to leave the bed, still thinking about her half-confession.

Now, right there in the kitchen talking to Dean and seeing him so nervous about his  _not-a-date_  with Castiel, it all finally made sense.

“Look, Dean, I get you, I really do. I used to be there, too, when I met Ruby.” Sam is trying to clear the air. “I used to be confused; an odd combination, you know, it was weird and awesome at the same time. Since the first time we talked there has constantly been something leading my mind to her, like a link between us. It is still there, like an invisible cord tying us together no matter how far apart we may be. And I always know when she needs me or if she just wants me near.” Sam sees Dean’s face transforming during his speech; he sees it going from  _the-fuck-you-are-saying_  to  _ok-i-am-officially-panicking-thank-you_ , but Sam goes on “At the beginning, when we had just met…” Sam points his index finger to Dean’s face “I had that exact same expression on my face.”

Sam has never seen his big brother so quiet, so shocked, but he had to carry on. Sam has to convince his brother he can trust him on this, that he is always gonna be there for him, no matter what comes or what he decides to do with his life. “Dean, I like Castiel, he seems a nice guy. If you’re worried about what any of us may think of this because he’s a dude… who are we to judge you two? Mating is not something you can actually choose. I know we were raised not to care about that, to go and live beyond our own designation, we were educated to despise it, to look the other way and move away from it. Sorry, it doesn’t work like that. If Cas is your mate… well, it’s only logical you two hang around and get to know each other.”

Dean is about to faint, he feels dizzy and about to get angry, all at the same time. “I am gonna kill your  _fiancée_ , damn it, so much for keeping secrets” he says while throwing the dishcloth on the counter and crossing his arms on his chest.

“You don’t have any idea of what you’re saying, Dean. It took me a lot of work to make her say just a three-word sentence. ‘ _His mate’_ , she said, and there was not even a name in it! I was clueless until five minutes ago. Come to think of it, she is so loyal to you that were you not my brother, I would be mad. She’s MY mate and, on this matter, she chose being faithful to you instead of me.” Sam snorts like dismissing the thought. “I just recognize myself in you, that’s all; I just had to put two and two together.” He looks at Dean, a serious look on his face. “Stop thinking so hard, Dean. Just go and find your happiness, man, the hell with everyone else.”

Now Sam stays silent, he waits for Dean to process everything he’s said. He knows it’s not easy for his brother, it’s a new world and Dean needs to adjust to it, that’s all.

Dean looks back at him, his baby brother. He thinks Sam is wiser, smarter, three inches taller, MetaAlpha, with two degrees and better hair (his long golden brown hair that goes up to his shoulders is one of his most precious possessions. He’s pretty sure Sam takes better care of his hair than Ruby does) and last but not least, in love with a perfect woman. Dean loves his brother, and has never been jealous of any of his achievements, but if there was any doubt after meeting Castiel, he is sure.

“Look, Sam… I don’t know, man. Things are different now, it’s like it’s all messed up… complicated, you know? I… don’t get mad at me, but I don’t want to talk about it, now. Make yourself useful for a change and pass me the condiments. It’s mom’s recipe so you know which ones.” Of course Sam knows. He was a baby when Mary died but Dean has always made sure his baby brother knew all the little things about her. “Good, you remember. Now go and take care of the family, Sammy. I think Ash is up to something.”

Sam left the kitchen, allowing Dean some time alone to cook and think about what he has just told him. It’s a lot to process and Sam knows Dean needs space.

Dean begins preparing the sauce; cooking has always helped him relax. It helps him to think about stuff…  _stuff_  that smells awesome… _stuff_  with sapphire blue eyes and black spiky-ish hair… yes, thinking about  _stuff_  really makes him feel relaxed. He’s taking a spoon to try the sauce and in a second all his senses go numb, there’s a knot in his stomach and then he feels it. A sweet smell, goose bumps all over his arms and the hair on his neck stiffen.

Dean knows Castiel is there before he sees him.

“Mmmm, that smells awesome.” Dean can hear the smile on that voice and tries to stay put even when his legs threaten to loosen. He must control himself, for God’s sake.

Now he can  _feel_  Cas getting closer so he turns around deciding to play dirty. “Yep, you wanna try, Chef?” Castiel nods still smiling, his eyes fixed on Dean’s, and the wooden spoon suddenly lands on Cas’ nose, painting it red. Dean gives him an evil smirk and Cas, who apparently can play dirtier, takes the spoon from his hands without parting gaze from his mate and paints Dean’s lips and a bit of his right cheek red.

“Oh my, look what I’ve just done. I’ll have to clean it now…” and with a grin he gets closer. “This is going to be  _so_  much fun” he says while he tip toes to reach Dean’s cheek and licks the sauce out of it, just a tiny tongue flip and the red is gone. But hey, gotta make sure it's truly clean, so he does it again. He was right, his is fun. Dean takes him by the shoulders and tilts his head trying to lick Cas’ nose but he is way too slippery and manages to sit on the lower counter setting his eyes at the same level as Dean’s. Both men smirking now, eyes eager and hands ready.

“I think my nose is still filthy… and from here I can see your lips are too… I think we may need a shower… we could go green and share… you know… save some water, global warming and everything” he says with his best  _I-am-such-an-angel_  face.

Dean laughs hard. “You have a point, Babe, but my spaghetti and meatballs will burn and my family will kill me. You really don’t want to piss them off, trust me.” Cas pouts and when Dean approaches, he steals a little kiss; Cas’ legs trap Dean into place on him. And now Dean’s licking his nose… Gosh, this feels so good. Dean intentionally licks his own lips. “Mhmmm man, this tastes so good” his eyes always fixed on Castiel’s, while Cas’ are going from his eyes to his lips, blue eyes darker with desire; his hands wandering through Dean’s back, slightly touching, feeling his skin shiver, that’s when Dean cups his chin while holding him in place with a hand on the neck (like he’d go anywhere) and kisses him deep, tongues discovering each other’s mouths, a kiss so needy and strong, sucking lips first and then licking and softly biting, none of them thinking of breathing until they have to part panting for air. Foreheads together, smiling and tasting each other in their own mouths… loving every second of their time together.

“Wasn’t that something…” Cas tangles his fingers in Dean’s hair and sets tiny open mouth kisses on the curve of his neck and Dean whispers on his ear “Such an awesome taste… and it smells beautiful too.” Now their erections are touching and hardening more by every second. Cas lowers his hand cupping Dean’s crotch and Dean flinches, suddenly remembering they’re not in a private room.

“Look, sorry babe, no… not now… oh God, you… you make me…feel… oh God…” Dean tries to find the words and fails when Cas kisses his earlobe. They keep on kissing and touching; Dean thinks he’s heard someone entering the kitchen but no fuzz is made so he just lets it be… he’s beyond the point of giving a fuck now. They stay glued to each other for what it seems an eternity but barely fifteen minutes have passed.

“I wish I could stay longer, Dean, but… the restaurant… Char is gonna kill me…” Cas tries to take a deep breath and gets down from the counter, helped by Dean who steals another kiss.

“I know, Babe, you go and we’ll meet again tonight, ok?” He goes to the stove and stirs the sauce while putting the pasta to boil. “Do me a favor on the way out and tell my brother and his girlfriend to come here, please.” He winks at Cas and goes back to the cooking.

A few moments later both Sam and Ruby enter the kitchen with a grin, making Dean want to slap them both. He points at them with the wooden spoon and says “You two… if you even dare to open your mouths you’ll not gonna like the consequences. I am serious, ok?” He sighs and continues “Look, I am not ready to admit anything yet. Now off you go Sam. Help setting the table and I’ll carry the food. And you sis… weak sis… sissy sis.” He wants to find the right word to chasten Ruby.

“You watch your mouth, Dean Winchester, I am not any of that.” She tries to sound offended but she is amused.

“You better stop talking during sex, then.” Now Ruby flushed red. “Oh, don’t look so offended, he said nothing but I have always read him like an open book. He’s the worst lier ever.”

“No… that’s not fair, Dean… Sorry… Look, he cheated… he always cheats during sex… he…” she says defensibly but Dean stops her.

“TMI… TMI…TMI…” he covers his ears. “Stop the mental image…” Now he covers his eyes.

“Oh, brother, if you’re worried about the mental image, you’ll have to use earplugs when you move to our wing of the house.” She laughs and winks at him. “Stop worrying, Dean. No one notices.”

Sam returns to the kitchen, followed by Cas. “Sorry, Dean, I was leaving but I needed to know everything was ok among you three. I wouldn’t like to create family conflicts.”

“Oh, it’s alright  _Babe_ ”, Sam deadpans putting his hand on Cas' shoulder.

“You  _Bitch_ ” Dean growls.

“ _Jerk”_  is the fast reply. The insult sounds like  _I love you_  to Castiel’s ears.

“It seems to be fine. I’ll be heading to the restaurant now… Good evening.”

“I’ll walk you to the door, Castiel.” The future  _in-laws_  leave the two brothers alone.

“You make one more joke and I’ll kick your ass. You may be 3 inches taller, have muscles to throw a parade, but I am still your older brother and I can kick your Meta ass any day.”

"Woah, dude…" he lifts his hands in surrender “Your secret is safe with me.”


	14. Safest place to hide

Cas is gone and Dean focuses on cooking but keeps counting the hours till midnight, he has a promise to keep and, for Chuck, that he will. Family is coming and going picking everything to set the table. Ruby is sure the happiest person in the house is Sally; with the Winchesters around she’s got lot of free time.

Dinner time is fun, everybody’s talking about Jo’s new job and how good it is that Castiel has hired her to start right away, even Bobby agrees and Dean smiles wider. Sam and Ruby are expressly avoiding talking about Cas and given the look Dean darts at them every time his mate’s name comes in the conversation, who could blame them.

“So, what time do we leave for the bar?” Ash had been googling Benny’s bar and had decided he would enjoy it a lot. It seems to have the right amount of popularity, not too much to make it snob but enough to make sure there’s gonna be nice girls and good booze. Ash doesn’t need much more than that to have fun. “Is Jo joining us there?”

“Yes, she is, dear” Ellen tells him, and then to Dean “Boy, this is so good! You are getting a better cook!” Ellen compliments him and Sam chokes on a meatball. Ruby palms his back to help while Dean is trying to kill him with the power of his mind. Now Ruby doesn’t know if muttering words of comfort to her mate or laughing out loud at Dean’s killing look. She goes for the comforting thing, she has enough troubles with her brother-in-law already, but mocking him is so tempting…

The rest of the meal goes by and after coffee they part to their own bedrooms to get ready for the bar. Everyone but Ash; he just sits on his computer again and starts typing like crazy. One of these days Dean is gonna ask him what the hell he does.

It’s almost eleven and Jo gets back from the restaurant, tired but happy, and goes right to change into something sexier. She knows Dean will never look her way, not the way she’d like him to, but she just  _has_  to look perfect for him, screw the rest.

Back at his room Dean takes a very long shower; water almost cold… a shower to take his body temperature down to a more tolerable level than the heat he’s been experiencing lately. Although he knows what the only remedy to that is. Maybe tonight. He had promised the same several times already. This time Cas  _won’t_  forget, today Dean  _doesn’t want_  to forget. Yeah, definitely tonight is the night.

Out of the shower, dry and with a towel around his hips, he has a hard time deciding what to wear. He looks at himself in the mirror and smiles coy at what he sees; self-confidence has never been an issue, he is hot and he’s got no problem admitting it. He’s got his Led Zeppelin t-shirt in one hand and the green shirt in the other. One says he’s cool and doesn’t care, the other makes his green eyes look greener… and now he’s a teenage girl, great. He rolls his eyes but goes for the shirt.

“Finally, boy!” Bobby puffs when Dean comes down the stairs meeting the gaze of the whole family, everybody sat in the living room waiting for  _him_. “Did you fall asleep or something? I thought you had drowned in the tub” well, shit.

“Ha ha, very funny Bobby…”Dean mocks him and talks to the rest. “The hell are you all waiting for?  _MOVE_!” and he heads to the front door with a frown.

“Sammy!  You take the family to Benny’s, I’ll meet you there” and jumps into the Impala and drives away before anyone can say anything. The crowd is left on the porch under a bright night sky, looking at each other in confusion.

“Well, it seems you are all stuck with me and my SUV, hope you don’t mind” he says and opens the door for Ellen and Jo. “Sure Dean will be there as soon as Castiel finishes at the Angel’s Pit” and Jo’s face turns red. Sam notices Jo’s grimace hasn’t changed when he sits behind the wheel and looks at the rearview mirror so he starts chit chatting. “So… how was your first day, Jo?” His voice soft; Sam’s Cadillac Escalade Platinum runs smoother than the Impala (not that he will ever tell that to Dean) so there’s no need to speak up to be heard.

“Already told y’all, Sam. It was cool. Charlie is very nice and helped me a lot.” Ellen hums in approval “It’s so different from the Roadhouse, mom. It was actually fun and there were no drunks to ditch out” she looks at Ellen like saying sorry, “And they tip better, too!”

Word after word she starts feeling better and enjoys the view of the city neon lights. This place is awesome and she is gonna love discovering its every corners.

So Dean’s Impala purrs through the city in the opposite direction to pick up Castiel. It’s a bit early so he takes his time, just like Jo, enjoying the nocturnal view of Los Angeles melting pot. Dean is finally in peace with the fact that Castiel is his mate. What that means he’ll have to discover, though; the sexual side of it he has already read earlier on the book Ruby has given him… about the rest, well, he knows close to nothing. Any other time this realization could have made him turn around and head for Sioux Falls in a heartbeat, if only he hadn’t made a promise he intends to keep… well, Castiel’s eyes and lips waiting for him probably have something to do with it too. Lost in his thoughts he parks half a block away from the restaurant with twenty minutes to spare. Dean rolls down the window and turns on the radio, humming to a tune he doesn’t even know.

All of a sudden his phone vibrates on his pocket and Dean jumps a little. He knows the number… but Lisa has never called back since the last time they had an argument over Ben’s school issues on the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Dean, it’s Ben”, The 11 years old kid almost whispers like unsure his call is welcomed.

“Kiddo, hey!” Dean is really happy to hear his voice; he loves this boy like his own and misses him so much. “What you’re doing up? Your mom is gonna be pissed”

“She’s out... Dean, I miss you.” Dean can hear a soft sob and his heart breaks to pieces. “Please, come back” and he wishes he could be there right now.

“Son, we are in California for a while, with Bobby, Ellen, Jo and Ash. You remember Uncle Sammy, it was his birthday and I need to spend some time with my brother, you know… maybe in a couple of months I could go and visit you… If that’s ok with your mom.”

Ben is openly crying now, Dean is spending time with his family and he was not invited. He is his son, for God’s sakes, Dean should be spending time with  _him_. Ben doesn’t care if Dean is his real father or not. He would never call another man  _dad_ , ever.

“You left, dad. Why? Why did you leave  _me_?! Why didn’t you two think of  _me_ , Dad! I needed you and you left!” Not whispering anymore, Ben is almost yelling now and Dean lays his forehead on the wheel trying to sound calm when he actually feels he’s about crying himself.

“Ben, son, listen. It’s a grown up thing, ok? I know it’s hard to understand, but mom was not happy with me. We both love you very much but we could not live together anymore.” It’s always hard to explain to kids why a couple cannot remain together. The fact that Ben is not his biological son makes it harder, Dean could not even fight custody or regime views. He’s seen Ben several times in the past couple of years since he left and it has always ended with both their hearts broken when Dean had to leave again, that’s why he’s been postponing visiting him again.

“Can I email you, Dean? Will you reply if I do?” Ben will try anything to be closer to Dean.

“Well, of course, kiddo.” It’s time to get out of the dark ages and improve his computer skills. He’s sure Jo will help. “Let’s do that and stay in touch, how about that? So you can send me photos and talk about the girls at school… you’ve got a girlfriend, son?” and Dean can hear him smile through his voice.

“No, Dean, I don’t, haha” there’s an itch in Dean’s eyes hearing Ben’s voice like he used to sound when he was living with them and Dean really wishes he and Lisa had had a chance to make things work. It was too late, though. “I have a soccer match tomorrow… I don’t think you can make it, right?” Ben knows the answer but he is not ready to hung up yet so any subject would work.

“Son, you know I can’t  _but”_ his tone smoother now “I expect you to have a good time and have a million photos taken and sent to me as soon as you come back home from the match. Deal?”

“Deal, Dean.” And there’s a pause “Mom´s back from her date” Oh kiddo, we know what you’re doing there. “I have to go, now. I love you, Dad.”

“Me too, son. Be good and stay in touch, I’ll be waiting for the photos, alright?”

“Alright, Dean. Gotta go, now. Bye, Dad.”

“Bye, son, I love you” the last word choked on tears.

Dean feels like shit, he has failed the kid and can’t stop the pain in his chest. He really doesn’t wanna intrude into Lisa’s new life; she is obviously dating and that’s alright, she is young and beautiful, any guy would be so lucky to have her, just not him. But Ben is right in the middle of it and Dean is not willing to quit on him. That’s a battle that he intends to resume.

But today. Right now there’s a different challenge ahead so he mans up, breathes deep and closes his eyes, lies his head on Baby’s headrest and tries to think only about Castiel. He doesn’t want to ruin his plans for the night.

 

He’s lost in his thoughts when the companion door opens and Castiel’s slip into the car, all smiling and, crap, isn’t he handsome.

“I could get used to this, you know, riding shotgun… being kissed… and so much more” Cas says while leaning to kiss Dean, soft and tender, staying there on Dean’s lips like holding the time and never wanting to leave. Yeah, this can be home.

Dean leans into the kiss like trying to forget the phone call for a while, he will act on it later; he owns Ben that much. Soon enough nothing but Castiel fills his mind, with his lovely lips and his beautiful smell and he just surrenders. Cas sets the rhythm, acting on his own. That’s something Dean loves about him.

On the book Ruby has given him, Omegas were described as submissive and mostly shy on their daily life and only during  _heat_  they are supposed to be needy and demanding. Castiel is obviously anything but a regular Omega and Dean loves it. He just acts up to his wishes and Dean is willing to oblige. More to it, he’s eager.  _Demanding!Castiel_  is the hottest thing Dean has ever seen.

Breaking the kiss is harder than Dean had expected but it’s getting late and the family is waiting. “Let’s go, Babe”, Cas nods and they drive away.

“You looked concerned when I got to the car, Dean, is everything ok at home?” Despite having confirmed that whatever they have is alright with Sam and Ruby, he still has some doubts about the rest of his mate’s family.

“Yeah, yeah… it’s alright. It’s just… well, it’s complicated, Babe. Maybe we could talk about it later, you know. It’s very important that you know stuff from my life; I want you to know everything. But not just now.” He takes his hand off the wheel to cup Cas' face and smiles at him. “This is a night to keep promises… just you and me… after we finish at the bar with the rest of the gang, that is…”, and rolls his eyes.

Before entering Benny’s Dean takes Cas’ elbow to face him, “Cas, look, like we said this afternoon, this is kinda complicated. Let’s just act normal, you ok with it?”

“I am sorry, Dean… Normal? What d’you mean?” the confusion in his voice is not pretended.

“You know what I mean, Babe. Like friends… just for now. I haven’t talked to my family yet and you have already met Bobby…”, Dean shrugs like apologizing.

“Uh-hu… well… I can restrain the touching… but I am not gonna hide, Dean.” An eyebrow raised, Cas is not amused.

“I don’t want you to hide, Babe; it’s just a temporary thing… I promise, ok? I’ll make it up to you later” and the wink he gives Castiel works; Cas' face softens and Dean is happy.

 

They enter the place, Cas one step ahead of Dean… so opposite to what it should be given their designations, and Dean smiles to himself. The Winchester table is hard to miss; they’re a little crowd… a _loud_ little crowd. They join them and booze arrives within seconds (which is good); Dean finds a fancy sweet chick drink (not that good) but it tastes nice and it’s free so why not; everybody is already a bit tipsy and laughing. Benny joins them just by the time Andrea and Kevin arrive and they all have a nice time. 

Ash is a little more than tipsy, and it’s not unusual since he started drinking at home. He decides to go for it and talk to the redhead bartender. Now that’s something you don’t see every day. Everybody agrees on that and starts remembering tales from back home in Lawrence and how different Benny’s bar is to the Roadhouse. Ellen is really enjoying herself; she could really get used to be on this side of the counter.

The music gets too loud after two in the morning, since the place turns into some sort of disco, and none of the Winchesters are used to this kind of place so they don’t know how to call it and, to be honest, they couldn’t care less. They’re too old for this… well, almost all of them. Jo and Ash are enjoying themselves and dancing. It took a while to convince Jo to leave, given her new job and the fact that her employer is right there with them… well, she finally agrees to go home. Castiel misses the whole interaction because Dean’s lips around the glass are so distracting. It takes a lot of effort not to reach for them and taste the alcohol from them. But he had promised to hold back the touching and, damn, some promises are really hard to keep.

“Benny, this was a wonderful night. Lovely place you’ve got here. If you ever get tired of the big city and wanna try something more rural, just give me a call. I’d love to have you at the Roadhouse even for you to have a laugh at the difference” Ellen says, half joking half serious, inviting him.

“You know what? I think I am gonna take your word, Ellen, thank you! I’ll let you know when I get my vacation time! I really need to slow down a bit and the Roadhouse sounds like exactly what I need” and that was unexpected but truly welcomed by Ellen’s warm smile and Benny finds the woman’s arms pulling him into a hug.

Sam has taken time off for the next four days so he can actually entertain his family, that’s why, on the way out to their cars, Ruby says “Have you ever gone to the beach at night, people? It’s amazing. Wanna go and watch the sunrise? I promise it’s awesome!”

“I can’t, Ruby. Gotta work at the restaurant tomorrow, remember?” Jo complains.

“Wait, Jo, you’ve got the evening shift tomorrow… remember? We’ve discussed it last night.” Cas intervenes.

“Great!” Ruby claps her hands “it’s settled then… let’s go to the beach… woohoo!” Yeap, that last beer was probably a mistake, but no one is completely sober. Actually, Sam has kept his drinks to the minimum so not to break the law by driving under the influence…And Dean, well, Dean not so much.

“I am sorry, Ruby” Andrea says “I got the morning shift so don’t count me in the party. Kev, you’re going or d’you wanna go home?” and Kevin is so drunk he can hardly speak so she takes that as a _take me home_ statement, which Bobby finds hilarious.

“I’ll take you two home, guys.” Looking at Cas like inviting him to help him excuse themselves from going to the beach.

“Yes, I gotta get up early too so if it’s not an imposition I’d like you to take me home too, Dean.” Cas responds with a closed lips smile that leaves Jo with a frown. She can be such a brat sometimes.

“Sure, dude.” Dean sets an arm around Cas’ shoulders and who the hell are they fooling? Not Jo nor Bobby, that’s for sure, they all can see that.

Ruby cuts them out as soon as Jo opens her mouth to complain and Bobby rolls his eyes in discomfort with the situation.

“Shame on you two! Sorry, Bobby, I mean no disrespect but you’re acting like shit. Let the guy live his life, would you? You’re surely living your own, Bobby, and you don’t see any of us complaining about it.” In obvious reference to his affair or whatever with Ellen, who won’t say a word but nods at Ruby’s statement in approval, “And you, girl, I love you but you need to get over him like yesterday. Otherwise you’ll suffer your whole life. Is that what you want? Think about it, Jo.” And she leaves them to ponder while she runs to catch up with Sam.

Jo does not linger, she runs after Ruby and takes her by the arm and in the edge of tears she whispers to her soon-to-be daughter in law “What do you mean, Ruby? What do I have to get over?”

“Oh, sweetie, you’re in love with Dean. Everyone knows that, your mom knows, Bobby knows, hell, even Ash knows. Do you think  _HE_  doesn’t know? It’s just that Dean is not interested in you like that, you’ve always been his little sister and doesn’t want to hurt you, that’s why he’s always played dumb and looked away and now… well…” Ruby looks up to the sky to give Jo time to come up with the rest.

Jo is unsure if she really wants to know the answer but if she’s gonna stay and be around Dean for a while she  _has_  to know, “Ruby… what’s going on between Dean and Castiel? Please tell me it’s not what it looks like…”

“Oh, hun, I know you’re not blind nor dumb… what do you think?” She really takes pity in the young girl, she knows what is to be in love but there’s nothing she can do about it, sometimes it only takes the truth to wake you up and get a chance to carry on, but she is too drunk to make her own mouth say that so she goes “ _But_ , I never said a word… in fact, I actually didn’t… bye bye!” she runs to Sam and hugs her giant.

Jo is mad as hell; she feels the blood in her veins boiling. That was nothing but a confirmation of her worst fears. She was not expecting  _this_ ; not really. She had always made plans, secretly fighting in her head every girl Dean has dated; not the one night stands, those ones she just hated. But Lisa… well, it was just fortunate for her that Jo lived far from them and that she had known from the start they wouldn’t last… or she would have found Dean’s little surrogate sister was anything but a nice girl, she wouldn’t have let her win without putting up a fight. Now Jo doesn’t know what to do or say, she’s in shock. How can she compete with a man? Dean had never given signals he would swing that way. Jo wonders if she’d ever get used to the idea of Dean mating with a man.

**

The guys leave Andrea at her building door, made sure she got upstairs alright by waiting for her to wave good bye from her bedroom window and take the Impala to Kevin’s. It was not as easy as taking Andrea home… Kevin was totally wasted and Dean and Cas have to carry him to his bed, take his shoes off and leave the apartment with Kevin spread on his bed snoring softly. They locked the door from the outside and put the keys through the letter box on the door.

“So, Dean… will you also take me home, now? Do I get to be carried in arms to my door, as well?” they break into laughter, while Dean starts Baby and drives away.

Hand in hand, fingers entwined and Cas’ thumb gently stroking Dean’s back of the hand, that’s how they drive in comfortable silence. Dean felt nervous for a couple of minutes after dropping Kevin at home, but as soon as their hands touched everything went away and he couldn’t wait till they get to their place. Hold it, slow down, Winchester! It’s  _his_  place, not yours. Oh, he knows; but a guy can dream.

As they arrive, Baby parked under the street light underneath Cas’ apartment, right above the Angel’s Pit, they go upstairs and neither finds it easy to start talking.

“Beer?” and it’s an offering for both a drink and a conversation starter.

“Yeah, why not?” Dean takes a seat in the little couch in front of the TV while looking around the room. “Nice place you’ve got here, Cas!” getting up he goes to the bookshelf, checking the books and the photographs. The furniture itself looks quite expensive and everything in the room is classy. “You decorated yourself? I thought your family had cut up your money… how did you manage to buy this furniture?”

Cas arrives with two beers “They did, don’t remind me… tough times, both emotional and financially speaking. Most of the furniture are my brothers’ gifts and the apartment I lease along with the restaurant”, He sighs and sitting on the couch pats the place next to him and lifting a beer to offer to Dean says “I guess it’s time to start talking. Don’t you think?” shifting position to face Dean as he sits next to him grabbing a beer, their fingers barely touching.

“I suppose” Dean turns his head and all he can do to not to jump over Cas is to take a sip of beer “Don’t know where to start, though… wouldn’t know what to say. It’s so…  _different_  from everything I ever felt for anyone, but you know, just yesterday someone told me this is like… like” Dean is trying to make Sam’s speech his own, find his own words to explain what he feels “I’ve never felt this kind of force, this invisible thread bounding me to anyone before, it’s like I’m tied up to you and it feels right. It doesn’t worry me at all; as a matter of fact it completes me. It’s like anything I do, anything I say, in my mind it involves you; even when in reality it doesn’t” and now his words tangle and he stops to go over what he has just said “I don’t know if this makes any sense to you” Dean takes Cas’ hand and entangle their fingers together.

“I think so, it’s like any decision I make is for two” Cas considers “For example, now when I have to make choices about supplies my first instinct is to think what would you do, as if you were my business partner instead of Charlie, please don’t tell her… she would be pissed, but that’s my reality, I cannot help it. The invisible thread binding us together makes perfect sense to me. Yeah, I understand exactly what you mean”

“I hope you can guide us both to where we’re going with this because, man, I am clueless” and hell if Dean doesn’t want to find out. There are so many things he can’t help, just like surrender to the need of touching Cas’ hair, fondle it finding comfort for both of them.

“I wish I could say I can, Dean, but it’s as new to me as it is to you. We’ve been through this several times already. All I can think is to be close to you at all times. It’s like they say it should feel when you’re in love. Problem is I don’t have anything to compare this with. I’ve never been in love before, I’ve never met anyone that mattered to me the way you do. I just need to keep on going and see what we have here.” He says as he puts his head on Dean’s shoulder, cradling in Dean’s arms.

“God, Cas, what am I gonna do with you?” Dean kisses Castiel with all the tenderness he is capable of. Talking about love is maybe too soon, especially because all the Alpha/Omega shit they have to deal with and find out about, but they care for each other, even now at the beginning of everything when none of them is sure about anything, when none of them have ever looked at other guy like this nor have they ever touched a man like they do now. Maybe it’s all instinct, perhaps it’s just meant to be. They don’t give a fuck. This feels good and they’re not gonna give up on it; the hell with law suits, relatives and friends.

All in all, with all the insecurities and the findings they have to go through, Dean knows that if he ever goes back home he’s not gonna do it alone, because he can’t already imagine his life without Castiel no matter where he is, from then on home is where Cas is. They can talk about what they are to each other later; they will have time to make arrangements. Right now, holding Castiel in his arms, smelling so good, so warm, all Dean wants to do is kissing him, loving him (although he would not admit that to another living soul… not just yet) being here with Cas is the safest place to hide.

The chaste kiss starts to deepen soon enough, as if they needed confirmation. Lips parting leaving room to exploration, it’s all confusing, rushed, needing; their tongues licking their lips, reaching through teeth and entangling, tasting the beer and the scent of each other. They breathe in each other’s mouths in the middle of moans when their hands begin to travel across each other’s backs, pulling themselves into the other, closing distance and rising their temperature and, fuck, it feels so good.

Dean’s hand gets back to Cas' face, cradling his jaw and using his thumb to caress his mate face and he’s lost. Dean leans on top of Cas, one leg between Cas’ and the other on the floor for level. Cas finds out he’s holding his breath and gasps using his hands to mirror Dean’s intent to unbutton his shirt desperately looking for flesh. Maybe for the angle, maybe for the rush, Dean can’t hold it anymore and just rolls Cas shirt up while fondling his lover’s waist… self-control? What for?

Castiel is not gonna hold back, he grabs Dean’s hair taking his head back and starts kissing his neck while Dean continues to manhandle him. Damn, this is really happening. Dean sighs and it sounds more like a whimper, and feels Cas smile in the open kisses he is tracing through Dean’s neck from the ear to the collar, opening the unbuttoned shirt to expose Dean’s shoulder, biting softly, testing the skin and licking into the teeth mark at Dean’s groan of pleasure. Cas continues the journey through Dean’s skin into his chest but Dean needs more, suddenly remembering he still has hands, he grips Cas face and pulls him into a desperate kiss, biting, licking and entering his mouth just because it tastes delicious. Dean can’t stop kissing Castiel, he wishes he could be stuck into this lips forever.

None of them would know how, but suddenly they’ve switched positions and now Cas is shirtless over Dean and Dean can admire Cas' body, so beautiful and hot he wishes he had more than two hands to touch him all over. Dean removes his own shirt needing skin contact; Cas is kissing and licking his chest and at a point he collapses, finally pressing his crotch against Dean’s and there’s no turning back. They join in a frantic rub and Cas feels wetter than ever before, even during heats. All those years he had relied on the pill to avoid this because he honestly thought it wrong. Now it's not gonna make him feel guilty at this sensation of  _rightness_ ; this is it, this new feeling is here to stay. So acting on it he unfastens Dean’s belt and unbuttons the jeans, Dean realizes this is going to happen so he reaches for Cas jeans and does the same. 

Eyes locked together they reach for each other's cocks through the fabric of their underwear, their hips thrusting into each other’s hands in despair; the need in the air is intoxicating, and then at the precise moment their lips meet again with passion they see each other’s eyes darken with pleasure when Cas takes Dean’s cock in his hand and begins stroking slowly first, full of need, full of passion, Dean, after a few seconds reacts and takes Cas’ and fondles it in slow pace, Cas just loses it. The rhythm is furious now, within kisses, moans and stroking their dicks together. This is exactly what they need, this feels right.

“Cas… Cas… I … I can’t, please Babe, please” Dean whimpers in Cas' mouth, never parting the kiss or slowing the stroking.

“Come for me, Dean, I wanna hear you, I wanna feel you knotting my hand” and Cas himself feels at the verge of his orgasm and knows he won’t be able to stop it.

The rhythm fastens and the groans grow louder, their names in each other mouths like a prayer as they come, hard and warm, violently on each other’s hands, crying at the glory of losing themselves in the other; entangling their hands over their cocks, pressing them together between their hands, kissing deeply, caressing each other faces. Cas' hand slightly touching the knot milking Dean on his shirt.

They stay like that for a while, no need to talk or to move. Dean’s kissing Cas’ closed eyes with abandon with their sweaty warm skin, touching intimately and right. They lie in each other’s arms way after the knot has receded and their orgasms vanished. Doubts and fears gone away.

 


	15. 10,000 promises

Saturday sun is barely rising and it finds Cas and Dean lying lazily with a warm feeling in their chests.

After resting in each other’s arms on the couch, falling from their own orgasms, and regaining consciousness of the outside world but refusing to let go, they decide to spend the weekend apart for the sake of their families and friends.

So it’s Sunday afternoon and Cas has spent the last two days at the restaurant, doing chores and cooking. Hiring a sous-chef is something they cannot postpone one day longer; because it not only makes Castiel busy at the kitchen most of the time but it also puts more work on Char’s shoulders and they are both exhausted by now. What’s the fun in  _owning_  a restaurant if you’re the ones doing all the work.

The lack of sous-chef is affecting his friendship with Char as well. She’s been quiet lately and that’s unlike her. Cas knows she still does not approve of his relationship with Dean and now Dean’s sister is just making things worse, but having to handle the whole front restaurant by herself is not helping at all. Waiting for her to come around without forcing it may not have been his brightest idea; he knows how stubborn she can be. And that is an understatement.

Dean has decided to be around Bobby and Ellen as much as he can. His folks will be in LA for only a few more days and, being unsure of when or  _if_   he’ll ever be back to Sioux Falls, he wants to make it up for them somehow. That thought alone should make Dean freak out, but surprisingly enough it doesn’t; and not being scared enough to jump on Baby and head back home, well,  _that_   _does_  frighten him. Hell, this is weird shit; now he’s not only a teen girl but he is also scared of not being scared, of not wanting to run away as fast as he can like he’d usually do.

Crap, he needs a rest; if he keeps on thinking about it like that, he’s never gonna find a way to come out to Bobby…. And… and he can’t continue arguing with himself because Bobby is hitting him in the neck… and not quite affectionately.

“ _Idjit_! I am talking to you, dammit, what the hell’s wrong with you, boy?” Bobby always sounds grumpy but now Dean knows he’s upset, and he’s kinda have the right to be. “Stop daydreaming, princess! You’re never here and when you are you’re lost in your own mind! What are you? Sixteen?”

Dean cannot hold Bobby’s look for too long; he has to say something, he must tell him  _part_  of what’s going on. But… How to begin to come out? Tell him he’s mated with a man? (No way); that he’s falling for a guy he’s known for less than two weeks? (Right, like Bobby’s gonna be ok with it); that he can’t wait to fuck Castiel? (What’s wrong with you, man?); that the only thing he can think of since Saturday is how nice it would be to taste Cas’ soft sweet cock and let him come in his mouth?( Now, that’s it. Go take a nap; you lost it, Winchester.)

Man up, Dean, you’re not 10. “Smooth, Bobby. I was trying to find out what is the core reason to stay in LA, because, you know, at first I thought it was only because I miss my pain in the ass brother so much, then that I should stay and take care of Jo. But I don’t know, man, I mean all that is true but it’s like there’s something else but… I really don’t wanna talk about it right now” And that’s all he is ready to admit to his father for the time being.

And that would have been the end of it if only Ellen hadn’t joined them right in the middle of the conversation, picking up the subject and casually saying “I don’t know, son, but it occurs to me that it may have something to do with that Castiel friend of yours; with the way he looks at you like you hang the moon or something? Like if you were the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen?” Dean’s eyes open wide as he chokes on his own saliva “I am not blind, honey. He’s transparent and anyone can see he’s into you and I know he’s an Omega; now, and you don’t have to answer this but; are  _you_  into him yourself? I can’t read you as well as I read him, but being mother to two Alphas I know a thing or two about this, you know? Like whenever your body mates… you can’t control which way you swing. And if Castiel is your mate… well, dear, it’s fine by me as long as you’re happy” her voice proud.

 _Chocking Dean to Death_  round one.

Dean has to cough in order to be able to speak and still all he manages is a half cry “MOM!!” And it’s the first time in years he’s called her that but it feels right, “C’mon! I won’t talk to you about Castiel or my sex life.” Embarrassed as hell, he gets up from the couch and heads to the stairs, but then he turns and says “That’s just gross and not going to happen! besides…  _THAT_  …” pointing at both Bobby and Ellen, “should be resolved  _before_  any of you can complain or discuss my love life.” He turns to go upstairs, takes two steps and changes his mind and heads to the kitchen, awkwardly looking back at Ellen and lowering his head like trying to hide himself.

Ellen smiles to herself while she sits on the couch next to Bobby, she’s got the answer she needed; her boy is in love even when Dean would not admit so much yet. She turns to Bobby when he snorts loudly in disapproval and, all her motherly protective instincts emerging, she confronts him: “ _WHAT_  ? Is it wrong that I am happy for my boy? One may think that you, of all people, would be happy for him. He’s got less than a year, you know? What do you expect him to do? Wait eight months till he’s 30 and let the government choose an Omega for him to breed? Someone with no mate so Dean has to settle with it according to the New Order? Could you live with that? Nobody is forcing my baby to mate with anyone! Not even the government and its freaking laws. Not if I can help it!” Bobby is speechless, he hasn’t seen Ellen this mad at him in years. “I don’t care if he mates with a boy or a girl, as long as he is happy, Bobby!” She could wait for a reply forever because Bobby is so shocked, both at Dean’s naked truth and the fact that Ellen is almost crying and it seems to be his fault, that he’s speechless. “You know what, Robert Singer? I think I’m gonna sleep on the other wing tonight…  _THE SINGLE WING_  … since, technically I am  _still_  single!” She turns around and walks away leaving Bobby startled.

 

**

“Hello, Castiel. Good news, dear! We managed to use your trust fund to cover full expenses of the case, both you personally and the restaurant. I still cannot believe our luck, it seems the Judge does not like Lucifer too much. Can you imagine your brother’s faces tomorrow when they find out?” Ruby is laughing at the picture. She doesn’t even know Lucifer in person but she hates him all the same because… reasons, you could say.

“Thank God, Ruby! We were just talking with Charlie about it and we came to the conclusion that not even selling everything we own we could afford the Angel’s Pit suit” and the relief in Castiel’s voice is clear. “So you were saying that tomorrow you’ve got the appointment with Emmanuel, right? Did you make sure he’s the one you’re gonna be talking to?”

“Yes, Castiel, I am sure. But I was thinking… it can’t be that bad to have to face Lucifer, right? I mean, we all have skeletons in our family’s closets and each one of us thinks ours is the worst one ever.”

“Oh ho ho ho, Ruby you don’t know what you’re saying. Trust me, you face him and all you’ll see is Lucifer's stoic, deadpan face. He’s a soulless son of a bitch; he could strip you from everything you have in life with a smile and a paperwork trail.” There’s bitterness in his voice now. “My brother has no feelings, none that we have seen him showing in years, anyway. You just hear me out, please. You go and ask for Emmanuel, he’s a good lawyer but lacks the spitefulness of our eldest.”

“Lucky you I don’t get scared that easy, Cas. We’ll have to wait till tomorrow and see, anyway. I gotta go and get the paperwork together. Wanna talk to anyone?” Ruby casually asks, enjoying the teasing more than she should… but the two of them are so cute it’s hard to control.

“What? No… well, yes… no, just leave it… oh God, ok… ok… put him on the phone” and Ruby can’t help but laugh hard.

“Of course, dear! DEEAAANNNN the phone!...it’s from the restaur…” Dean was a few steps from the kitchen anyway so he takes the phone before she can continue to shout and let everyone in the house know Castiel is calling  _him_. Dean gives his sister in law the bitch look that he’s seen Sam perfecting years ago and wins a laugh from Ruby and a thumbs up.

“Hi Cas!” Dean says a little too harsh.

“Hello Dean… I see Ruby keeps making fun of you. Sorry, but it’s kinda funny, though”

“Are we doing this now?” Still a little too upset about the conversation with Ellen and now Ruby doing _that_.

“Doing what, Dean?” Cas sounds puzzled now.

“This… talking on the phone… having chick flick moments while my sister in law is laughing at me like a child” he says as he gives Ruby an exasperated look.

“Well… if it’s too much trouble and it makes you uncomfortable I can always hang up the phone” Cas says trying to sound offended and failing.

“Oh, just shut up and talk, Babe” and turns to hide his smile from Ruby.

“Now, that’s better, Dean. I miss you, you know. This idea of a weekend apart seemed a good idea at first but now… I just wish you were here with me, you know… doing things to me, like… uhm, Dean… What would you be doing to me, Dean?”

 _Chocking Dean to Death_  round two… Go!

Dean clears his throat and replies in a whisper, “Oh babe, if you only knew… I have so many ideas, so many, Cas.. I can’t stop thinking about you, your lips, your arms, your… well, use your imagination, man” and now Dean has a hard time keeping his breath even. “Unfortunately for us, I have promised to take the family to Hollywood boulevard tonight to grab something to eat, so…”

“Oh but, Dean, the night is so long.” Cas' voice gets dark and rough and it makes Dean want to explore more but, damn, he can’t now otherwise he would be already on top of the Impala driving to Cas’.

“Sorry, Babe, you still have to work on Monday morning and I really would like to keep Char’s knives away from my back for a little longer, thank you”

“Well, that would have to do, then. I’ll be good and wait… just make sure it won’t be for too long. I’ll go and eat my pie, now. Miss you, Dean. Call you back tomorrow”

“Oh, man, that’s not fair. You’re killing me, Cas. I miss you too, I feel like a teen but do something for me, would you?” He hesitates for a second “Give those lips a bite from me and save me some pie for tomorrow… I’ll go and collect” and with a silly smile on his face he hangs up the phone.

When Dean turns around Ruby hands him a mug of coffee as a peace offer; she winks and with an apologizing look but laughing all the same, she says: “Sorry, Dean, Sorry… it’s just that you two are so cute… and look at you! One could say you’re a horny teenager. Get a grip, brother! Chill out for God’s sakes” She comes closer and lowers her voice. “I don’t have time for your brother to go crazy with the pheromones in the air so please take a shower or something” Dean pulls a face showing he is clueless of what she’s saying. “Oh, c’mon, Dean, you don’t know about that either? Look, it’s easy, I’ll lend you another book tomorrow but here’s the basics: If your mate is with you all the pheromones and mating stuff will not affect another soul… if not… well, as I said, I have to work on Castiel’s case and don’t have time for your brother to drag me into the bedroom.” Dean doesn’t know if he’s grateful for the explanation or wants to drop dead right there. “Let’s do something, go and take a shower; hell, go and use my bathroom and jerk off or something, just lower your arousal, ok?”

“You’ve got to be kiddin’ me! What is this?  _Chocking Dean to Death_  round three? WILL THE WORLD STOP TALKING ABOUT MY SEX LIFE?!” And, yeah, dropping dead sounds just fine.

Ruby could have been born a Winchester given the bitch face she looks at Dean with, and Dean softens. “Sorry, sis, but Ellen asked and then Cas… I cannot repeat the conversation we’ve just had and now you… Look, I’ll use your bathroom, ok? I don’t want everybody to know I need to shower  _again_ … not after talking on the phone; how cold does the water run in your shower? Just joking. Thanks, Ruby” Dean kisses her cheek before heading to his brother’s bedroom to take the coldest shower he can handle, but he won’t jerk off in his sister-in-law bathroom even if his body is crying for it.

**

They leave for Hollywood Boulevard fairly early in the SUV at Sam’s request, so they’ll only need one designated driver on the way back home.

They find a parking lot on Sycamore Avenue and take the obligatory tourist tour. They have fun taking pictures of all the stars on the Walk of Fame and the Harvelles and Ruby enters the Madame Tussaud’s museum for a quick visit while the men go see the stars’ hands prints on cement at the Gauman’s Chinese Theatre. There was no way Bobby would go and see waxwork, thank you.

They spend more than a couple of hours walking and taking photos before Ellen orders the boys to pick up a restaurant already because she’s starving and, despite Bobby’s complains, Sam and Dean decide to go for Chinese, not because it’d be funny to see their father eating with chopsticks, of course not! One can only imagine how happy Bobby was after dinner, being the only one who had to use a fork.

Surprisingly, it is Dean the one behind the wheel, since Sam had decided to try  _sake_  for the first time and liked it kinda a little too much, him driving is not an option. Beer was awful and sake was not an option so Dean had settled for coke and everybody had mocked him but for once he did not care; he has a plan and driving back home is part of it.

It’s almost midnight and Castiel is closing the restaurant. He’s with the key on the lock, the door still open, when he sees the Cadillac Escalade parking and the sight of Dean coming out of the SUV makes his heart beat faster. Cas waves at the family inside the car and they wave back at him. Dean enters the restaurant pulling Cas with him by the lap of his shirt closing the door behind them and leading Cas to the kitchen as if the place was his own.

“Hey, babe. I know it’s not tomorrow yet… I’ll need some pie to excuse my dragging them all here just to see you for a few minutes… any kind of pie, even a cake would do.” Dean breathes the words over Castiel’s lips as he presses a deep and harsh kiss into them; and, damn, it’s not gonna be enough. Cas is frozen on purpose because he knows that should he react to Dean’s actions they would need way more than a few minutes. So he stays shivering with his hands on Dean’s hips while the other man hugs him close and whispers in his ear “I can’t stay longer but I am here to say that the things I want to do to you involves my lips around your sweet cock and lock eyes with you while you come inside my mouth” and Cas' dick twitches at the harsh deep voiced promise, his knees threatening to bulk as he remembers he has hands and grabs Dean’s hair kissing him fiercely. Parting for breath Dean manages a three letter word “Pie”.

Every time they kiss it gets harder to break and continue with their lives. As the kiss deepens even further they’re a confusion of arms, hands and legs all over the other and if they don’t part soon the chance of one of the people that were left on the car showing up and finding them like that gets higher by the second. And still Dean grabs Cas' ass and takes him as close as their clothes allow them.

Was it a few seconds after? Or was it perhaps a couple of minutes? How could they know? The only measure Dean can rely on is the deep blue of Cas’ eyes… every kiss turning them deeper in color, sky blue… ocean blue… Cas’ blue, the bluest of them all. He can definitely see himself drowning in the pool of those eyes. But, dammit, they need to part and when they do it’s puffing and panting, trying to even their breathing, pleading their hearts to quit racing so fast but unable to stop, smiling at each other.

Dean takes distance, as much as the kitchen allows him to, “Cas, pie or cake, please… I have to go” he implores forcing himself to stay away from Cas’ personal space and that takes a serious amount of self-control Dean did not even know he still possessed.

Cas nods while scratching his head looking around trying to remember where he left the pie and finding his brain on strike, like complaining for taking it from more important matters like… his mate. But with blood flooding back to the rest of his body from its journey south, he finally remembers where he put the pie and goes for it.

“Here, Dean, eight slices of eight different kind of pies… all of them made especially for you” and Castiel does not care about personal space, self-control or relatives so he kisses Dean on the cheek and then on the lips, soft tiny little kiss, so tender that Dean finds it almost impossible to part but he does it anyway; he’s got six people waiting outside.

“God, Cas, there’s nothing I’d like more than just staying like this forever but…” he nods at the door and Cas understands, he feels Dean’s hand on his hip pulling him closer when he says “Walk me to the door, babe.”

With the restaurant door opened and standing at its frame Cas handles the bag with the pie to Dean who absentmindedly leans to kiss Cas on the lips… when he is suddenly conscious of six sets of eyes fixed on them and, hell, it’s done. “What d’ya think, Cas? It seems we’ve just told my family, man… I am sure they’ll torture me for this… are you with me?”

“Oh Dean. With you? I’ve wanted to be your boyfriend since I laid eyes on you… Dean I am  _so with you_!” a beautiful grin on Cas’ face.

“Boyfriend, uh? That sounds naughty… like foreplay. I like it.” Dean winks and Cas' world is all fireworks.

Dean sits behind the wheel expecting any of them to laugh or tease, well… they don’t, so he has to say something, “One word and you all walk home” and looks ahead while the rest of the passengers look at each other in silence. Dean tries to hide his smile, but it’s too big to succeed. He doesn’t care.

**

During the rest of the trip home there’s only silence in the car, with an exceptional giggle that Dean is positive belongs to Ruby and he makes a mental note to make her pay later.

They gather in the kitchen, fresh coffee pouring and a slice of pie in front of each one. The Winchester bunch has never been so silent. Dean grabs the coffee jar and brings it to the table and, while serving, he says, “I am gonna say this once so you better pay attention.” Dean looks at them in the eyes, takes a deep breath and finally says “He’s my boyfriend, ok? You may say he’s my mate. I don’t know much about that but I do know that he belongs to me and I belong to him. If you have any problems with Castiel you’ve got a problem with me.” He looks at each one in turn, avoiding Jo’s gaze sitting next to him, inviting them to speak up and only Sam does.

“Look, Dean. You don’t need to get so defensive, man. We’re all here for you, none of us is judging. I haven’t seen you this happy like… well, never. And we all like Cas anyway so… good for you, man. I am proud of you.”

They look at each other for a few seconds holding the kind of silent conversation they used to have every day while growing up. In the meantime, the rest of the family murmurs their agreement and talk to each other.

“Alright, then. Because I am not a chick and whoever I’m fucking is my own business just like my love life so no stupid questions allowed. If I ever have to make an announcement on anything I will, so nobody has to make assumptions on anything. I’ve never kept any secrets from you and I will certainly not gonna start now.” He takes a sip of coffee and, grabbing the fork, he says “I love you all. Eat the pie”.

Ellen’s eyes are bright with tears as she leans on the table to put her hand on Dean’s and squeezing a little, her heart bursting with pride. Dean lifts his eyes from the pie and looking into Ellen’s he says “You’ve got your answer” and using the fork as a pointer he tells Ellen and Bobby “ _That_  … still needs to be fixed, like yesterday.” At that both Jo and Sam smile and nod, Sam looking at him, and Jo at her coffee mug with tears in her eyes that Dean is pretty certain are not of joy. She’s brave though, and Dean is proud of her. Ruby can’t stop smiling, winning a “ _Shut up_ … I know what you’re thinking” and goes back to look at Jo, whose face is traced by tears now, but there’s nothing he can do about that, and all the rest of the table knows it, he has never encouraged her but she’s always been a persistent little girl. He should be saying something but clueless of what it could be he just cups her hand and, smiling faintly, wipes the tears away with his thumb.

**

Monday morning and it’s the first day Ruby is not in charge of breakfast. She’s way too focused on Castiel’s case to do anything else. She leaves the house before the whole family wakes up.

Now it’s 3.07 PM and Ruby holds her breath checking her outfit and make up on the elevator mirror. She looks perfect, so professional-like. Her appointment with Emmanuel Novak is vital but she’s anything but naïve; she is expecting Lucifer to join the party. She just hopes it’ll be  _after_  she’s got the chance to talk to Emmanuel alone.

Novak and Novak firm is at the top floor of a breathtaking building. She’s not impressed, though; Edlund-Shurley’s offices are magnificent and also on a top floor. Her uncles are practical and couldn’t care less for luxury but big impressive offices are a must.

She approaches the front desk and announces herself, “Ruby Shurley for Emmanuel Novak, I have an appointment in 3 minutes”.

The receptionist presses a button and two minutes later Emmanuel Novak himself, dark hair very much like Castiel’s and blue eyes with the same tone of his younger brother but without that warm bright that she came to love in her brother-in-law’s boyfriend. He comes to meet her and, shaking Ruby’s hand with a professional smile on the lips, he greets her. “Good afternoon, Miss Shurley. Please, follow me.” He waves towards the end of the hall and leads her to his office on the right corner and if Ruby has to guess, she’d bet Lucifer’s would be on the left, and she’d have been right. Emmanuel opens the door for her to come in and by the look of the office, you’d say half the court work is done here by intimidating the other party lawyers with the luxury displayed throughout the room. But she’s no rookie.

Emmanuel invites her to have a seat and offers a coffee that she politely turns down. He starts a light conversation about nothing and her uncle but Ruby knows he is probably playing for time so Lucifer can join the meeting. She humors him for about five minutes but she’s had a long day and enough is enough. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate a little talk about my beloved uncle Chuck, Emmanuel, don’t get me wrong. But let’s be honest, you despise him at least as a firm, so enough about him. Let’s talk business. I’m here with a proposal.” She hands a quite thick folder to the lawyer. “These are the copies of the depositions and all the other information I gathered onsite the day of the event. You’ll find some on video, some on mp3. I have already presented it all in court this morning. My visit obeys only to a goodwill gesture because of your family relations to this case.” An almost imperceptible change in the eyes of the lawyer betrays his confidence. “Because, you see, I don’t think it has escaped your knowledge that, given the worst scenario, the one on trial here is going to be your brother Castiel and, excuse me, Emmanuel; I’ve seen weird family behaviors but trying to financially ruin a brother… well, obviously you have to be a Novak to understand that”.

“I can understand your confusion, Miss Shurley. You see, my brother has chosen a different path in life, away from our tradition and in my family that means…” but he won’t finish the sentence because a blonde, tall man with icy eyes, in color and in warmth, enters the room. She has heard so many things about this man besides what Cas has told her in the past few days; some of her friends had had the displeasure of meeting him and they all agree he is hot as hell, which she used to think it was an odd word choice but now, having him right there in front of her… well… now she gets it. She also sees the shark behind the perfect features of his face; this guy is a big terrifying shark. But she is an amazing swimmer and knows how to use a harpoon; he won’t terrify her. She’s been working for Carver Edlund for a few years now and everybody knows he’s the most terrifying shark you can find in LA; but she also knows he is a puppy at home, sweet and funny, because when she was a toddler he used to play with her and read her stories, winning the honorific title of Uncle Carver.

“Well, look who we have here. Emmanuel, why was I not informed we had the pleasure of a Shurley at our firm?” Lucifer says without even looking at Ruby, a smile cold as ice without a trace of kindness.

When Lucifer is at her side, looking down at her and extending a hand to shake, Ruby says smiling, “You must be Lucifer. Your brother Castiel has mentioned you but he did not make you any justice”

“I assume his description must have been quite… colorful” it’s his sharp and creepy answer, “Cassie has always been the black sheep. Even the twins, who are a train wreck, have chosen to follow a proper path… but not our Cassie. He wanted to be a  _Chef_ ” and the word sounds filthy in his mouth. “He wanted to own a restaurant and  _feed_  people, to be with the working class, to be at the bottom of the pyramid… Well, it was our most painful decision but if he wanted to be a chef… then he would no longer be our brother” indulging Ruby with an explanation he clearly thinks she doesn’t deserve but obviously taking great pleasure in disparaging his brother, “And that, Miss Shurley, is the reason we took Steve’s case” his quiet controlled voice and the words choice giving shivers to Ruby’s skin, like in the presence of evil itself. And that’s when she finally understands Castiel’s warning, Lucifer certainly is the personification of his own name. Oh, she hates him so much that it is gonna be a personal pleasure to smash him in court.

She won’t stay a minute longer hearing the bastard speak like that of his brother so standing up she says, “Emmanuel… Lucifer, my work here is done. We’ll be in touch”. She shakes their hands in turn, Emmanuel first; and when it’s Lucifer’s turn she looks into the ice bucket of his eyes and softly says, “I’ll tell Uncle Chuck you did  _not_  say hello and… Uhm, Oh, yes. Uncle Carver wanted me to say to you, Luci…” and the twist in his face at the nickname is priceless, “That he sends you his best wishes to you and… wait, what’s the name?... Oh, right, yes! Yes! Lauren” she smirks and finds funny that the already icy eyes can turn more like a frozen pool now with the frowning. She had waited a long time to say this, that bitch used to be her uncle’s wife and he had cheated on him with this asshole; a blessing in disguise because her Uncle got the divorce and used the prenup against her. The day he willingly told her to fuck off the family had open a couple of bottles of champagne and toasted on the nightmare’s end. She was a bitch then and probabilities tell she must be worse now. “Say hello to Aunt Lauren for me and please, don’t forget to tell her I said I hope she drops dead soon” She turns around and leaves the office with the Novaks at her back in total shock.

While pressing the elevator button she whispers to herself “Damn, I’m good” and enters the lift with a triumphant smile.

The war has just started but she’s already won the first battle.

**

For the past couple of years, come rain or come sun, Mondays for Castiel have always been a synonym of lunch with the twins at the restaurant. Ever since they were all very young- Castiel himself a toddler- they were the only brothers to be there for him; they actually love and care for their baby brother very much. They have, of course, followed the honorable family path… well, kind of. They are not lawyers; watching Lucifer spending his life among books and with a stick up his ass was too much for them to stand. They had decided long before their time for career choice that they would do anything but to become lawyers. They were not stupid, though, they knew that Lucifer held control of the family estate and given the kind of life they like to carry, they couldn’t risk losing access to the family money. Gabriel has always find finances interesting so he’s a broker, chief broker. Balthazar is an antiques merchant, buys and sells the most exquisite pieces of art you can find in LA.

The twins are, of course, a unit; they are happy people but everyone can see they are happier when together; they complement each other even when they grew up physically very different. Their joy is contagious; they have always managed to make Castiel laugh his pains away.

Today Castiel is distracted and even with the twins constantly attempting to make him react to their banters, he is nervous. He had decided to come clean to his brothers since Dean took the first step with his family the night before.

“Hey, Cassie”, the shorter dark blonde man greets him, grapping his arms around Castiel, mischievous golden brown eyes full of joy. “Looking good, kiddo. Glowing if I may say so… Did you swallow a light bulb…  _again_? I’m not in the mood to run to ER…” Gabriel, always joking, prankster extraordinaire. Dear old Gabe.

“It was a coin and you were not the one who took me to ER, that was Lucifer…and he never let me forget it…” Cas distractedly says while opening a bottle of wine and joining his brothers at their usual table.

The blonde and taller twin- still shorter than Cas- hugs him tighter than usual. Balthazar has never been subtle.

They know.

“So… who told you? It was Emmanuel, right?” Cas rolls his eyes but appreciates that his brothers are always there for him.

“You know how those two work, Cassie. Emmy told Baz here and well… news spread rather quickly, as usual” Gabe shrugs.

Balthazar is upset and can’t hide it, “He’s a bastard… they both are. The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree but this is ridiculous” he sits and drinks his wine in one shot, taking a second to hum in approval, “I never thought I’d say this but…” hesitates for a split second “I think Dad is scared of Luci, he’s certainly stopped being proud of him a long time ago” and he pours another glass of wine for himself.

“Luci is not a bastard…” and the two brothers look at Gabe in disbelief, “We are bastards, funny bastards… Luci is a son of a bitch who only cares for himself… well, perhaps for the next hot ass he’s hunting as well… and I am not talking about his bitch trophy wife Lauren. Anyway, rumor says he’s hunting a different kind of ass nowadays” gossip has always been Gabe’s passion and God knows Castiel could use some distraction today. “Not that I care, mind you, I’ve had my share of different kind of asses in my youth but…” Gabriel says very seriously.

“Right, Gabe, since you’re sooo old, please spare us the details, we don’t need to be reminded of your gay encounters  _again_ , thank you. It’s fine by us but really… details, bro? I pass” Balthazar cuts him amused.

Castiel knows that being worried about coming out to his brothers is stupid. Now the conversation path is giving him a little panic attack that must show in his face because Gabriel pats his shoulder and says “Don’t take Luci too seriously, Cassie, he’ll come around… eventually”

“Gabe, I haven’t spoken to Lucifer since Emmanuel’s wedding and I am pretty sure he didn’t speak to me that day either. He’s decided I am no longer your brother the very day I left to start culinary school. I was lucky enough Dad had set a trust fund. Don’t patronize me, Gabe, Lucifer has never come around anyone, not even me… and he never will.” Castiel says with a mix of sadness and bitterness.

Meg brings lunch and blushes at Gabe’s usual attempts to win her over. They start eating but Cas couldn’t say what’s on the plate. His distress is showing and he’s sure he won’t be able to say another word even with his life depending on it.

“Hmm funny… you’ve never been so hard to read, you know, Cassie? You’ve got an  _I-need-to-tell-you-something-but-I-don’t-know-how_ face. Just like the one you had when you told us you were going to start culinary school” Gabriel says with a frown.

Cas sighs loudly, looks at both his brothers and closing his eyes he says, “I’ve met someone”

“OHHHHHHH! Finally ohhhhhhhh!” the twins say at unison pulling him in a two people hug that made him laugh like a kid.

“You dog… what’s she like? Is she gorgeous? Petit? Beta, I assume… you’ve got her hidden somewhere around here? Can we meet her?” Gabe is happy and whenever he is happy he can’t stop talking. That never fails to make Cas laugh, this time though…

“Hold it, Gabe... Stop it, you moron”, Balthazar looks at Cas in the eyes and bingo! “What’s that you’re not telling us, Cassie? You trust your big brothers, don’t you?”

He smiles at Baz and takes a sip of wine to take courage, “Alpha, definitely gorgeous. Has the most beautiful green eyes you’ve ever seen… freckles all over the face and shoulders. Light brown hair. Probably two inches taller than me and his name is Dean Winchester, he’s from Lawrence, Texas. Has a Meta brother and the most impressive sister-in-law ever. She’s Shurley’s niece and she took my case” Finally stopping for breath leaving his two brothers to process all the information he’s just threw to their faces.

“Wow… Alpha male… Man, I always forget you are an Omega, Cassie! Does he make you happy?” Balthazar asks concerned about his little brother's happiness.

“Oh, Baz, he does indeed” Cas’ smile is wide.

They both look at Gabe who is taking a moment to react, which worries Cas a little bit.

And it finally hits him, “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW… you’ve mated with a guy?.... Oh, Chuck, I have millions of jokes, Cassie! Millions, little brother… but you look so happy I wouldn’t dare to ruin the moment… and, by the way, if he makes you unhappy, I’ll kill him” he says with a wink and Cas knows that for once he is not joking.

“No need to kill anyone, Gabe. He’s perfectly fine, I promise. I’ll introduce him to you one of these days… now get out; you have jobs to return to and so do I.

They hug Castiel a little closer this time and Cas is grateful for that. It’s good times for family warmth.

Gabe breaks the hug and looks very seriously into Cas’s eyes “See you next Monday, baby brother… make sure to make the table for four… and that’s an order” and Gabe might be a prankster and the funniest brother of them all but his word is final; he wants to meet Dean and he will.

Balthazar winks at him and whispers while hugging him “Don’t panic, Cassie, he’ll love anyone who loves and respects you”

“I know…I know… thank you” Cassie feels he’s truly lucky to have such good brothers.

**

After the twins are gone, Castiel supervises the kitchen preparations for the night. Char reminds him they have the sous-chef candidates’ interviews by 3PM and it will need his full attention.

“Of course my attention is going to be fixed on the interviews; what do you think, Char?” he answers his friend without taking his eyes from the list he is about to give Alfie, everything seems to be ok, the kid shouldn’t have any problem following his instructions, but with  _Mr_.  _ButterHands_  you never know.

“Nothing Cassie, nothing” Char sighs and rolls her eyes but her discomfort is missed by Cas and that’s even more annoying. “Just hurry up, three of the five candidates have already arrived and we should begin right away”

“Okay, Charlie” he hands the list to Alfie and entrusts the rest to God. “Let’s get this started” and they both leave the kitchen to meet their applicants.

As they are approaching to the candidates Char whispers to Cas something that sounds like  _Money on the girl_ and maybe mocking her will make her loosen a little bit “Keep it quiet, girl, last time you alienated your girlfriend, Meg was such a mess she did not get tips for three days or so” she did not laugh… maybe he was wrong, and at this point it seems impossible to find a way to make his friend take it easier.

One of the candidates didn’t even show, so the four that did attend to their appointments got their chances to impress the Angel’s Pit owners. They took a little longer on two of the applicants’ turns, the girl’s curriculum was not thick but it was impressive because of the few restaurants she’s worked at, the guy talked about some of the dishes he mastered over the years that made him sound one of the best fit for the position.

Cas bets on the second chef, a blonde boy with an easy smile and, apparently, a good hand for fancy dishes, “I like him better, he’s got experience in fine restaurants” says while taking notes on his notepad.

“Dunno, bro, the girl hasn’t have a vast experience but seems good and we can mold her to our taste” and Cas knows she has a point. After dealing for years with all the crap from Charles it would be nice to actually control the kitchen crew for a change.

“Anyway, we’ll find out after the four days testing, tomorrow will be day one, cross our fingers. Now tell me, how’s Jo doing?”

“Just fine. She’s good, actually. Which you’d probably known if you had focused on hiring a sous-chef before instead of…” but she doesn’t get to finish her sentence.

“Stop it, Char. I’m not in the mood for that”, this is getting annoying.

“Oh, so not in the mood, uh? And when would it be a good time for business and friendship, Your Highness? Because, honestly? I feel like I am running the damn restaurant by myself, lately”, and there’s the confrontation at last.

Cas takes her by the arm and leads her to the small office they have at the back of the front desk, away from everybody’s eyes and ears.

“Stop it, Char… stop being THIS!... I don’t like you like this, my friend… all jealous at Dean and everything; I thought we were past this already. But no, oh no, now you team up with Dean’s little sister, the one who’s been in love with him since she was five. Why are you doing this to me, Char? Why?”

“Because I can see what you’re getting into and I don’t like it… it’s not good enough for you, Cas! He’s not… you just can’t see it because you’re blind!”

“Things are a little too complicated now, Charlie. You wouldn’t believe how much. I can’t believe you having no problems on the New Order Laws forcing me to mate with a designated Alpha instead of being happy for me, for mating with someone I’ve actually chosen, someone I like and, likely… most probably… almost 99% sure I am gonna love for the rest of my life and  _I am the blind one_?… How is it even possible, Char..? You’re supposed to be my best friend!!” Cas' eyes are shiny with tears now, this hurts more than he thought it would. “I thought you’d be happy for me”

Her mind trying to cling to everything Cas is saying but her thoughts clouded by the fear of his friend getting hurt by the Alpha.

Castiel continues, “We’ve already made it official to our families; last night Dean told his family and I’ve just told the twins; so we’re not hiding or anything. Dean is my boyfriend, Char, and for the first time in my fucking life I am…  _happy_.” He finishes with a sigh, this is so tiresome. “He makes me happy and we haven’t even slept together yet, so it’s not the perfect sex or anything; it’s just him… coming here at 11.58 at night just to kiss me goodnight, just him worrying sick at what happens to me and it’s just the way he looks at me, Char; I need this… I need him, and I need you, my best friend, to accept this and support me like you’ve always done”

“Dammit, Cassie… boyfriend? Wake up, you idiot, he’s from fucking Lawrence! Jo told me he never stays in one place for more than a few weeks, he’s a road person and a freaking womanizer. Who do you think is gonna be stuck with your broken heart when he feels so trapped that he’ll need to go for a road trip? Ruby fucking Shurley? The hell she would. That would be  _ME_ , Cassie, always me! And I hate to have to mend your heart because you’re my brother and I love you very much, I would rather kill him than let him hurt you. And now you’re fucking him… great! Don’t you forget the pill, buddy, not one single day or else. So, guess what? No, I am not gonna stay easy, Castiel… not as long as this goes on” and she is being honest, because she actually believes every word she says.

Cas takes a few seconds to ponder her words, “So this is how it’s gonna be, then? Too bad, Char, but it’s your decision. I am going to start the kitchen for the night. My boyfriend may pass by, he knows his way to the kitchen so please stay away from him”, and he’s about to leave the office when he turns, as if remembering something, “An tell Jo that if she keeps gossiping around she’ll have to find a new gig”, and he can’t remember one time he’s been this mad.

Castiel heads to the kitchen feeling down; Char is his best friend, the one he’s always relied on and if she can’t see he’s happy, if she can’t be happy for him… that just sucks and makes him sad.

He flips his finger through the screen of his phone and starts typing a message.

_**«Char is mad, really mad. Twins, happy.»** _

After a few minutes he receives the answer.

_**«Jo upset, better try mad as hell. Rest ok. Wanna see me?»** _

And is he for real? Funny he had to ask.

_**«Yes, oh yes. Rescue me now, plz.»** _

It took the Impala fifteen minutes to get there. As he parks his Baby in front of the restaurant, Dean sends a message to his boyfriend asking him to come out, he’s not in the mood to deal with neither Char's nor Jo's disapproving looks.

“Hello, Dean, let’s go home” Cas pleads as he sets a light kiss on Dean’s lips. And as tempting as it is, Dean knows his mate is incredibly upset right now and, probably, sex would be the wrong option. He wants their first time to be perfect and unforgettable, not a reminder of a bad day.

“Hey, easy tiger! Don’t rush it, Babe. Look, we’ve got time on our side; I am not going anywhere any time soon. How about we go to the beach and have a make out session… uh?”, his wink always manages to make Castiel forget the world around. “We both can use some relaxing time out, don’t ya think? C’mon, I got a few ideas I would like to whisper in your ear…”

Dean cannot believe how beautiful Castiel’s smile is and laughs when he runs to the restaurant and shouts from the door, “I’ll be back in an hour or so” and joins him on his walk to the beach.

They walk without any rush, hands barely touching. They don’t wanna hold hands on the street like a couple of teens, but they don’t have any problems kissing, though, so Cas takes Dean by the neck and tip toes to kiss him softly as he says “You made a promise, you better keep it”, and that makes Dean laugh harder than in the parking lot a few moments earlier. It’s a full body laugh and the most perfect laugh Cas has ever witnessed, damn, he’s in love.

As they arrive to the beach they take their shoes off, a simple action becoming a ritual already, and go to their special place on the rocks. There’s a beautiful sight and it’s quite private, the rocks keeping them away from the public scrutiny. The sun is high and warm, the salty air blows from the ocean and makes Cas' hair swirl lovely. Dean ruffles it a little messier and Cas grunts laughing.

Dean seats and takes Cas in front of him, in between his own legs with his back on Dean’s chest, Dean’s arms around Cas, holding him tight and kissing his temple. He smells so good, his skin perfume is part of the memories that keep Dean awake at night, wishing Cas were with him in his bed.

“I dream of you, Cas, you know? Every night. And I think of you every minute I am awake.” Cas turns his head to kiss him on the lips slowly, sweet and tender. Love, and passion at the same time like there’s nothing else in the world that matters. Right now it’s only them. No family, no friends, no Alpha or Omega designations.

Just two guys in love.

When they part the kiss, with effort but mostly because they need to breathe, Dean wraps him tighter and whispers in his ear, “I want to kiss you for hours, on the closed lips, kiss you softly all over your face, without missing a spot. I want to kiss your neck and mark you mine so you can mark me yours later. I want to explore your chest with my mouth and my hands; touching, tasting, kissing, and biting every inch of your beautiful body. I want to save your smell, your taste, your skin, your mouth and touch in my memory so we never stay apart. I want you to be with me every second of my life.” Cas' breathing fastens as he hugs Dean even closer, feeling his eyes beginning to water and silently thanking God Dean can’t see them “I want to take you until you can’t take it any longer and taste you as you come in my mouth. I want to fuck you forever; sweet and tender, then harsh and fast. I want to take you in every corner of your apartment, in every surface of my room. I want to hear you coming over and over, screaming of pleasure, make you pour sweet sounds out of your mouth, out of your heart. And I want to make it all right. I want to make it right  _for you_ ” he kisses Cas deeply, their hands fondling each other lovingly, “Because, babe, I belong to you so I am not going anywhere.”

Dean kisses him on the lips, the cheeks, the neck. Castiel can’t take it anymore. “Dean, please…”

“Easy, lover, you’ve got work to do… let’s say I pick you up at shift end and we try and make some of the fantasy come truth.” And that’s something Dean does not intend to forget, this time he won’t make his mate wait for days to fulfill his promise.

They take a while longer to kiss and taste each other’s skins, exploring their faces, jaws and necks up to the collarbones, worrying if going further will make it hard to stop. But they do, they stop and afterward, for a few moments or for hours, who could say, they stay in each other’s arms watching the waves break. The beach becomes their place.


	16. Darlin'

_All I'm askin' for  
Is a chance to let me love you_

Bobby is pissed. The reason, though, he doesn’t know. It’s about Dean, that’s for sure but what’s bothering him is not so clear.

  
It’s not that Dean’s mated. It’s not that he’s mated with a guy. It’s not even that he’s mated so close to the government due date that it’s impossible to be sure he’s really in love and not settling for the first Omega he finds appealing. No. Castiel is not the problem; hell, Bobby even likes the guy. Not knowing what’s causing his distress is killing the old man.

  
Bottom line is Bobby is irritated the whole time and talking to him, or even trying to, ends up in an argument. It really doesn’t matter who tries to take him out of his shell or if they even attempt to engage him in a conversation… it will always end up in a quarrel.

  
Picking up fights is in order for Bobby, it doesn’t matter with whom or what about; he even had yelled at Sam in the morning over the TV remote in his own damn house. Fortunately or not, Sam is an angel and knows Dean’s situation is not easy for Bobby to accept, so he says nothing and goes out, leaving him watching TV on his own. Bobby felt like crap for that.

  
Now it’s Ellen’s turn. The only one who would fight back. Maybe that’s what Bobby needs. She’s been polite and understanding of Bobby’s feelings and has tried not to jump into an argument but it’s been enough; they’re going home soon and she doesn’t want her man to leave angry with his boys. No, Sir, she won’t take any more crap from him.

  
“What the hell are we having for dinner? I am fucking starving, dammit!” Bobby yells at Ellen from the other side of the room without taking his eyes from the TV. And she just...

  
“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? Are you trying to pick up a fight with me like you’re doing with everyone else? I even heard you a couple of hours ago shouting at the gardener to keep it quiet because the noise of the lawnmower was too loud… Are you crazy or what?”

  
“Oh please…” Bobby tries to stop her but she goes on.

  
“I am not gonna let it go just like Sam did this morning, what were you thinking? He’s your son and won’t say anything out of respect… well, guess who doesn’t have any problems disrespecting you, ass? So, go on then, go and try to pick up a fight with me… you know you can’t … no, you WON’T win this.”

  
“What’s wrong with me? Don’t you think that if I knew it I wouldn’t be so… pissed? It’s Dean, alright? But I just don’t know why. And don’t tell me I’m an Omegaphobic or a Homophobic because you know I AM NOT… I’ve never cared for who the hell he fucks, that’s his goddamned business.” Ellen can see he’s trying to keep it down, but fails.

  
“Oh, c’mon Bobby, don’t give me that crap. That’s gotta be part of the issue here, when he was living with Lisa you were very happy for him. Why would you be so upset after he’s found someone now if it’s not because it’s an Omega male?” She takes his hands, trying to soften her voice. “Maybe the fact that Castiel lives and works in LA bothers you? Because, let’s face it, if he really is Dean’s mate then he’s gonna stay for good. I know you’re gonna miss him but, love, what can we do about it?”

  
“You think? Ellen, you’re in the same position here. Jo is also staying and Dean, the idjit, won’t say when he’ll be back home, I’ll have to run Singer’s by myself and it was our business, mine and Dean’s; I am doing it all for him, woman! I like that Castiel fellow, but as much as I try I cannot fully trust him and I can’t tell why.” His voice is sad, rather than upset.

  
They hear the door and it’s Jo coming from the restaurant on her afternoon break to pick up clothes; she’s going out for drinks with Charlie and Meg after the restaurant. She couldn’t care less if they’re having a private conversation or not, she just starts speaking on top of them, very angrily to say the least. “That little shit is stealing Dean from us… like it’s not enough that they call each other boyfriend, now they hold hands and go to the fucking beach for a break! I hate him! He’s trapped my brother in his net!” She’s almost crying of anger.

  
“Joanna Beth, shame on you! You should think twice before saying anything bad about people you don’t even know, especially Castiel. He’s been nothing but good to you. He even gave you a job without a trial period just because you are Dean’s sister.”  
“But, mom…!”

  
“And keep it quiet, we’ve got enough with Bobby alienating everybody in the house for you to do the same. You are staying here with Dean as your guardian, start behaving or you’ll come back to Lawrence with me!”

  
“You can’t do that, mom, I am not a child!”

  
“Then start acting like an adult! Didn’t you pay attention in health class? You know mating is for life and even if they break up and go separate ways the bond will remain and they will not mate again or love someone else. So, once and for all, get over Dean. He’s always been a brother to you and nothing more, he’s never given you any hopes so you don’t have any right to look at him in any other way.” The truth was finally said.

  
“It’s not fair, mom, and I am over him already. It was just a phase. It’s just that we don’t know anything about Castiel and you’re all ok with it. Dean is under his spell and the guy is probably a murderer; what if he really poisoned the Meta, mom! You’re all ok with Dean being dragged into that?”

  
“Stop talking nonsense, girl; do you think that Ruby would have taken his case if he was guilty? We’ll see about that. Just behave around Castiel and stop acting like a brat, then you’re gonna be alright. Now go and get what you came to pick up and don’t be late for your afternoon shift.” She is surprisingly okay with her daughter going out clubbing. “And you, Mister” index finger towards Bobby, “figure out already what’s going on with you, so we can all deal with it and enjoy our last days among the kids.”

  
**

  
It’s Monday night and Dean is a nervous wreck. He’d meant all and every promise he’d made to Castiel but now he is not so sure he’ll be able to go ahead with it. He’s horny as hell but sex with a man is something absolutely new for him. He knows it is Cas’ first time as well, but he’s an Omega, he is supposed to crave for that… Dean, on the other hand, has never thought of a man in his bed. Not until the last couple of weeks.  
Dean is frightened and horny, all at the same time, and he wonders if it’s usual… if it’s something every alpha feels come the time of mating or if it’s just that he wants Cas so bad. Anyway, he is not turning back now. He needs Castiel and will fulfill all those promises he has whispered in his mate’s ears and even if Cas decides to never have sex with him, he’d be ok with it as long as they can still hold hands and visit the beach together. -Oh, come on, Winchester, now you’re all chick flick thoughts? Yeah, it still doesn’t make it any less true-. The only thought of it makes him harden and, fuck, he could use another shower.

  
He’s all stiff on the couch, waiting like a teenager for his prom date, pretending to watch the TV with the family while Castiel finishes talking about the case with Ruby. When Cas had arrived he was taking the third shower of the day and when Dean went downstairs he could still smell him in the air, but he will wait… legal advice and strategies are very important at this stage of the events so he won’t rush them.  
Still all he can think of is ‘ _C’mon, sister, hurry up_!’ And he is aware of Bobby’s eyes on him and he thanks God they are not in the mood to discuss the TV show they’re watching because he has no clue of what it is, his mind full of images of Cas’ lips, and eyes and… well… pretty X-rated scenes-to-be. He’s gotta take all that from his head or he’ll snap.

  
So trying to escape Bobby’s accusatory gaze, he takes Ash’s computer and logs in to his email account to check if Ben has finally sent him the soccer match photos he had promised to email him. Turns out he did and Dean’s face glows while checking them one after another and calls Ellen to show her how big and cute her teen grandson is becoming.

Bobby joins them and it’s the first time in days Dean sees him smile. “You should have brought him here, boy. We haven’t seen him since you broke up with Lisa.” Dean knows Bobby’s right, but last time he had a conversation with Lisa she made it perfectly clear he did not have any saying about Ben whatsoever, so…

  
When Ruby’s studio door opens Dean jumps from the couch and goes to Cas, winking at the smiling Ruby. The sight of Castiel with his bed hair and his blue eyes makes Dean forget about old problems with Lisa; about Ben, well, he’s resolved to get it fixed in the near future, so he smiles and when Cas smiles back at him… dammit… would anyone think Dean has any other option than get close and…

  
“Hi, Babe” he says grabbing Cas by the waist and kissing him, and to hell with being careful with the audience. He is dying for this and won’t let the chance go.

  
“Hello, Dean.” Castiel returns the kiss and whispers into his mouth “I am pretty sure your family is not ready yet to see you kiss another dude, Dean.” He tilts his head to Dean’s back and side looking at Ruby he says, “Well, Ruby seems to be ready since she looks unable to stop giggling but Sam is looking at the ceiling and your parents… well… you know” he says shrugging.

  
“I needed your lips, Babe, so the hell with them”, but he releases Castiel’s waist all the same.

  
“Ellen! How much longer to dinner? I’m fucking hungry!” Dean clears his throat and yells without looking off Castiel.  
“Language, boy! We’ve got a guest; you want Castiel to think we raised you in a barn? And dinner’s ready when it’s ready so help setting the table, it’s gonna be ten more minutes. Second best burgers in the world” she says winking at the Chef.

  
Everybody is at the table and the food is perfect as usual. Ellen is a great cook even when she’s mostly specialized in trucker food. They talk about the day and the plans for the weekend.

  
“This is really good, Ellen” Cas praises, “I bet if you ever go to culinary school you’d graduate with honors even before starting” and Ellen smiles, taking the big compliment he gives her.

  
After dinner everybody spreads around the house and Ash goes to bed early because he is catching something and the pills the doctor Sam gave him make him sleepy. Ellen and Bobby are taking coffee in the living room and Ruby and Sam are nowhere to be seen.

  
Dean cannot take it any longer and takes Cas to the hall and pins him to the wall next to Ruby’s office and kisses him deeply. “Dean I need you, I can’t… please, let’s go to my place.”

  
“Yeah, alright… I think it’s gonna be the best thing to…” but before he finishes the sentence Ruby is coming down the stairs from her wing.

  
“Uh, guys, excuse me. Sorry to interrupt. Dean, your brother wants to have a few words with you. He’s in our room. I’ll keep Castiel company” she says smiling.

  
“Sure. Babe, I’ll be right back.” He kisses Cas chaste on the lips and goes upstairs running. “Whaddap, bro.”

  
“Hey, Dean. Look, sorry to bother but we were talking with Ruby and I think it’s better to make things clear…”

  
“Oh, Sammy, don’t you worry. We were just saying with Cas that we’ll be heading to his place so we won’t bother…” but Sam cuts him cold.

  
“Woah, man, wait! What I was about to say is that your bedroom is yours to do whatever you please! There’s no need for you to go anywhere else with Castiel. Dean, this is your house. Please, make yourself home.”

  
“Well, Sammy, that’s really something. Thank you. We’ll see what Cas says, but honestly, thank you, man.”

  
“Anytime, Dean. Now go, and tell Ruby to come up soon or she’ll end up at the studio up till three in the morning.” Sam shrugs.

  
“Sure, man. See you tomorrow, baby brother” and Dean heads downstairs to meet Cas.  
“Thank you, sister. Your husband calls you ASAP. Hasta mañana.” And accepts her kiss on the cheek.

  
“What is it gonna be then, Dean? Ruby just told me; she even told me where to get bed sheets and fresh towels… looks like they had everything planned… are we really so obvious?”

  
“Dunno about that, Cas, but you’ve got the late shift tomorrow and we’re already here… what d’ya think? Shall we go upstairs and see what the night brings?” and he kisses him once more.

  
“What if we stay for a while on the TV room and have coffee, first. The stair is on the visual of your parents right now and I wouldn’t want Bobby to be more upset about me than he already is”, and Dean knows he has a point so he goes to the kitchen for the coffee and they sit with Bobby and Ellen and chit chat for a couple of minutes.

  
Ellen is not stupid so she manages to fool Bobby into going to bed early. She kisses Dean on the forehead, says good night to Castiel and leaves. She’s an awesome mom.  
They spend a couple of minutes making out on the couch but when they hear noises in the kitchen- probably just Sally finishing cleaning- Dean takes Cas’ hand and they head to Dean’s bedroom. Every step of the stair is a good place for a kissing break, the moment of minding getting caught long passed. They just need each other and they need it with all their senses.

  
“You’re gonna stay for a while, Cas? Say you will… I need you, man.”

  
“It’ll depend if you’re ready to fulfill all those promises you made, Dean. Or were you teasing, after all?” Cas looks a little disappointed, like sensing Dean’s been having second thoughts about it all.

  
“Oh, I am no teaser. I intend to comply every single one of them… probably not all of them tonight… but you’ll see…”

  
They enter the room and Castiel stands in the middle of it as Dean locks the door. He turns and finds Cas looking at him with a smirk, and Dean’s eyes pop. Time of truth and any doubts that Dean may have had were left outside the bedroom. He approaches Castiel and stops just a foot away, two inches too tall, with a great view of the pool of Cas’ eyes and Dean just wants to swim in them. And at this distance, in the intimacy of his own bedroom, he realizes he is undeniably, deeply, madly falling for Castiel. He probably won’t be able to say it out loud but he can show his affection for Cas with his actions; show him that Cas is his; that every inch of Dean belongs to Castiel.

  
Dean grabs Cas’ hand and puts it on his own chest so Cas can feel his heartbeats. Cas smiles wide while Dean leads him to the bed. On the way Dean loses his shoes and shirt and, sitting Cas on the edge of the bed, takes his shoes and shirt off as well, Cas is too nervous to complain.

  
Castiel won’t wait for Dean to take the first step, he gets on his feet and gets Dean by the jaw and kisses him softly, barely touching his lips, exploring the limits- as if there were any-. Dean stays put, probably still under a small panic attack, but still enjoying this too much. Cas opens his mouth a little, biting Dean’s lower lip a bit harder than intended, gaining a moan from him that just manages to encourage Cas; he licks Dean’s bitten lip and Dean loses it. He opens his own mouth, allowing Castiel’s tongue into it, and then it’s all a rollercoaster of sensations.

  
“Are you gonna stay steady all night? I’ve heard promises of hands and lips” and that breaks Dean’s spell.

  
He suddenly remembers how to move and takes Cas by the lower back getting him closer, moving one hand to grab Cas’ hair to pull him in and deepen the kiss. Castiel’s first will is to strip Dean off his clothes and get down to business _right this second_ but somehow he manages to stop and abandon himself to Dean’s touch.

  
Dean’s hand on his neck, ruffling his hair and moaning into his mouth is too much for Castiel to remain still. He gets his own hands to cup Dean’s face, rubs his thumb over his temple, his cheek bones, his jaw… his hand continuing a path through the collar and onto the shoulders and back; lowering the other hand and grabbing Dean’s ass… and Dean won’t complain; as a matter of fact his dick twists at the touch of Cas’ harden self.

  
Dean goes mad with desire, he takes Cas’ face with both hands as if fearing his mate is gonna back up from him, kissing like if he wants to swallow him whole. He reaches for Cas’ undershirt, taking it off in a single movement and throwing it on the floor. Castiel, a bit dizzy from all the rush of mouths and hands, suddenly finds himself over the bed underneath Dean’s body, his hands are all over Dean and his mouth on the crook of his neck. Dean had promised a mark and maybe that won’t happen today, but he looks at Cas’ neck as a canvas and fantasizes on the shapes and shades of purple that he’s gonna draw on his mate’s skin.

  
Dean’s hands and kisses are all over Castiel’s chest. Cas’ hands entangle in Dean’s hair; he guides his mouth towards his nipple and Dean loves to feel his mate taking what he wants regardless his designation, so he complies. He licks, bites, teases one nipple with his mouth and the other with his hand, his other hand going south, gripping Cas’ hip and squeezing a little, pinning him to the bed to make him stop thrusting his hips up, rubbing his dick against Dean’s and threatening to make him knot before any action has actually started.

  
Castiel has never been so hard, not once, not ever. His jeans feel too tight and if he doesn’t release his dick he’s gonna explode. So finding a small gap between the bodies he unzips his own jeans and then Dean’s, both men gasping and moaning and breathing heavenly. Their erections are now closer but Castiel needs more.  
He starts kissing Dean’s collar and, taking him by the waist, he tries to roll him over and to get on his knees at Dean’s feet but suddenly he finds his hands pinned by Dean above his head.

  
“I’ve made a promise and I am gonna keep it. Do you need me to remind you?” But Castiel remembers every word, every smile, and every promise made on the kitchen and on the beach. He wants it all and more.

  
“Dean, please!” Castiel cries, his eyes dark of wanting.

  
“Oh, you remember, then… nice… keep your hands there, Babe; trust me, okay?” Dean orders him and keeps going down on Castiel’s chest, tracing a path of kisses towards his navel while his hands fondle his sides and, reaching the jeans, he removes Cas’ and his own, admiring his mate’s cock pulsing and twitching through the fabric of the boxer. Dean uses his indexes to travel through the hair atop the underwear, placing little open kisses on Cas’ thighs and hips while Castiel moves his hips trying to direct Dean’s mouth to his dick… but Dean has other ideas… he opens Cas’ legs and sets little bites in line on the inner thighs and then licks the tiny marks… Castiel is beginning to despair but keeps his hands atop his head anyway. The groan that escapes his mouth when Dean passes a thumb over his cock over the fabric almost touching its vein… well, Dean has never heard a more glorious sound in his life.

  
“Please, oh FUCK, please… please, Dean!” he begs and Dean’s cock jumps pleading for release, release from his boxers and release of pleasure; he needs Cas… but tonight is not about him, it’s all about Castiel, so he sets small open mouth kisses all across Cas’ dick through the fabric and, pulling the boxers just a little bit down, Dean takes his mate’s shaft head into his mouth. Lost in ecstasy, Castiel wheezes and pants and moans and cannot remain still, he grabs Dean’s hair tight while pulling his hips up to meet Dean’s mouth and try to force more of his own length into his mate’s mouth.

  
“I said keep your hands above the head”, his voice husky of want, hating to leave Cas’ manhood to speak.

  
Castiel complies, his cock is twitching due to his personal god biting and kissing it through the fabric and when he watches Dean swallow the head once again, sucking and licking all around it, he just loses it and begins to squirm.

  
Dean’s hands have been all over Cas’ tights and chest and now he begins to remove the boxers really slowly, enjoying the show. And when Cas is completely naked it’s Dean’s time to lose it. He stands to look at his mate spread on the bed, hands up and his body… his oh so beautiful body displayed for his eyes only, his dick, bittersweet and delicious, hard _because_ and _for_ him. Such a perfect view that Dean finds hard to move, like needing to print the image and save it forever.

  
“Wh…what are you doing, Dean, don’t stop… please… I just can’t…” Cas can’t finish because he sees the look in his mate’s green eyes and his heart bursts of joy. It’s worship he sees, and passion and eternal bliss.

  
“My my, you’re the most perfect view. I’ve never seen a more beautiful person lying in my bed… lemme enjoy you for a moment” and he is honest, he’s not ready to say it but he has already fallen for Castiel.

  
“Yeah, right… enjoy it later when I’m not horny as hell… get back here” Cas manages to say in a whisper.

  
“Later it will be too late for a first impression and I am trying to fix you in my head... Man, don’t I love what I am seeing…” and he has to bite his own lower lip to try and avoid a lascivious grin… definitely not succeeding, not that he minds. He can’t take his eyes from Cas’ body and suddenly it occurs to him he could give him something to hang on to; so he strips himself, makes a turn with his arms aligned with his shoulders and with a triumphal smile he says, “Now, there. You also have a view to enjoy”, he takes a bow and drops on his knees. Getting closer to Cas’ erection he can see it must hurt, he’s harder by the second and leaking pre cum. Dean licks his lips in anticipation… the moment of truth has come and Dean is ready.

  
Looking straight into Cas’ eyes Dean takes his partner’s erection and strokes from base to tip once, twice, three times and at Cas’ moan he takes the head in his mouth and makes swirls with his tongue, sucking at the same time making Cas dizzy with pleasure, the sounds coming out of his mouth are absolutely sinful. And Dean won’t tease anymore, he also needs this and he takes Cas whole, moving up and down while working his tongue around and sucking very slowly, dragging desperate moans from his mate and, for a splitting second, a little voice in the back of his brain whispers ‘ _Who would have thought you were so good at this’_.

  
Cas can feel the slick in his tights and grabs the bed sheet tightly to keep himself from pulling Dean’s hair. “Oh FUCK… Fuck, Dean… FUCK, that feels awesome, don’t… stop… please”, but Dean stops; he fondles Cas inner thighs opening his legs wider, he grabs Castiel’s ass open and stroking his mate’s cock he puts his mouth to work around his hole and damn Cas tastes great; he introduces one finger and Cas huffs and moves his hips to meet Dean’s finger… another finger and Cas is groaning… a third and he’s fucking himself into his mate’s fingers… until Dean reaches Cas’ prostate and at the same time he takes Castiel’s dick back in his mouth, slowly finger fucking him and then all Cas can do is just cry.

  
“Oh Fuck, yeah… there… right there… yeah, like that… more… oh God, don’t stop… DEAN!!... I’m coming… God, Dean! More… just,… DEAN!!” with his mate’s name like a prayer or a promise, Castiel orgasms harder and stronger than ever before. Seeing this beautiful alpha swallowing his load and licking his lips with lust he cannot help it…he had to reach out for Dean and take him up to kiss him deeply.

  
“I take it you liked it, Cas?” he smiles coyly, “I told you, Babe, I keep my promises and I am glad I did… you taste like heaven” and Castiel, still in the aftermath of his orgasm smiles into the kiss.

  
“Your turn.” Castiel wants his own try of Dean’s taste.

  
“You don’t have to, Babe, I told you already, tonight is all about you” and he means it. This was what I had promised and what I needed.”

  
“And what I want is for you to shut up and enjoy” and Cas pushes him into the bed and goes straight to kiss and bite his chest… with more urge and less calm than Dean as if he needs to eat him up. He bites his nipples and Dean twists and turns, his cock twitching when Cas licks and bites his navel and spends a lifetime biting his thighs.  
“You are so gorgeous, Dean, I want to kiss every freckle on your face, on your shoulders and on every corner of your body… I want to count them and name each and every one after you”, he says while licking teasingly from base to tip of Dean’s shaft. “You’re so big and beautiful… I want you to fuck me, Dean” and he starts eating Dean alive, licking, biting and sucking hard and taking him as deep as he can.

  
“Shit, you’re a biter… oh Babe, keep going… yeah, more… again… we’ll see, Babe… please don’t stop” and he doesn’t, more to it and without warning, he manages to swallow him completely and Dean’s voice is lost, he can only growl and pant for air, absolutely lost in the sensation.

  
Cas won’t stop sucking his mate’s dick but he begins to wonder how it works… a bit late for that, but hey… he didn’t think this would be finally happening tonight. There’s gonna be something called knot, that much he knows but the rest… “Dean, worst timing ever, I know… but… how does it work? I mean, the knotting part” and while he waits for an answer he continues to lick all through Dean’s length and stroking it slowly.

  
“Stop Cas, stop for a second… I… I can’t think…” and Cas stops but doesn’t stop squeezing Dean’s cock.

  
“I’m gonna swell, Cas. The tip of my dick will expand and we are gonna be knotted, bound together for as long as it takes it to recede, it will lock my seed into you and, hopefully it will give us both several orgasms while at it” he traces his thumb through Cas cheekbones and says “I’m not gonna hurt you, Babe, keep on sucking and I’m gonna let you know when the knot comes so you can take it off your mouth” Dean closes his eyes to abandon himself to the sensations but Cas won’t take that.

  
“Open your eyes, Dean… I want you to watch me… I want you to watch yourself fuck my mouth and feed me full.”

  
Dean complies, his eyes almost black with lust, because Cas is a wonderful thing to watch and, teasing, says “I didn’t know you were a talker too.”

  
Castiel’s grin is beautiful while he gets to his knees and locks gaze with him to never again let go. Cas sucks and licks and mouth fucks his mate, encouraging Dean to move, and it doesn’t take long for Dean’s knot to form so he warns Cas and suddenly his mate is all hands and tongue around his dick, fascinated at the sight of the knot, licking and stroking until Dean comes with a scream that sounds like Castiel’s name. Cas swallows as much as he can, some cum landing on the bed sheet but they don’t care. This is right and this is their moment. They lay in bed, on each other’s arms, while Cas on top of him continues to milk Dean and holding him through his orgasms.

  
Cas kisses him softly and smiling says “You taste like burgers and fries… so good and perfect” rotating his hips around Dean’s knot pouring sounds of pleasure and a new load of cum out of him. Castiel may not have multiple orgasms but he is enjoying every single one of his mate’s. This is perfect, Dean is his and now he’s marked. Cas kisses his bites all over his lover's body, smiling at the memory of the sounds that he poured out of his mate. Castiel may be a bitter and talker but Dean is loud at the peak of his orgasm and the sounds he makes… the things he says… Well, Cas is certain that a trucker would blush… but to Castiel it's the most perfect sound of them all.

  
They shower together, with no more strength than to clean each other’s bodies. Cas takes his boxer but Dean stops him. “Are you wearing that to sleep? Because, Babe, you’re not going anywhere else tonight but onto my bed.”

  
Castiel smiles and goes to bed; sleeping with Dean is part of the dream, it completes the fantasy. He lays his head on Dean’s chest and, at the very edge of dreamland, he thinks he hears Dean saying “I love you, Babe”.


	17. Lay Down Beside Me

_If You lay down, lay down beside me_  
_You can get on inside me_  
_and I can get on inside you too_  
_If you lay down, lay down beside me_  
_You will wake up beside me forever_  
_forever and ever_

 

Waking up next to Dean feels like fresh baked apple pie.

Castiel can’t remember the last time he woke up so sated and happy. Nothing can distract him from his mate’s presence; Dean smells like grass and oil and pie, hot and smooth.

He’s been awake for a few minutes but with no desire to move; he’s cocooned in Dean’s arms with his back on his mate’s chest and wouldn’t mind staying like this for the rest of the day. The warmth of his skin is so comforting and his smell reassuring of the mutual belonging that it makes Cas want to freeze the moment and mark each other. He doodles patterns in the arm that’s holding him over his chest, knowing he is falling for him and finding the feeling right and final. He’s aware he should be frightened but he’s not; he’s in Dean’s arm and nothing else matters.

Cas can feel Dean’s morning arousal and, smiling at the fact that he is the reason his mate is hard, he starts moving his hips slowly to make sure he will be true to his word this time and comply with his promises. He turns around and faces Dean, his right leg in between Dean’s and starts kissing his jaw, moving to Dean’s neck and finally managing to wake him up… ish. Dean opens one eye and smiles at Castiel.

He’s never woken up next to anyone but Lisa, he’s used to sneak out in the middle of the night to keep the one night stands as such. Finding Castiel pressed intimately to him feels like a blessing. But Cas is no holy man and Dean enjoys Cas grabbing his ass and now Dean’s fully awake. “Hey! Morning, Babe!” Dean smiles pressing a kiss in Cas’ temple. The hell with all the holy crap… he’s never been a man of faith, anyway. “Gosh, Babe, someone’s happy?” and hugs Cas closer.

“Always, lover… always.” he says laughing at the tickling of Dean’s stubble on his neck. “Ready to make your promises come true?” He takes Dean by the chin to make him look at him in the eyes. “You asked me to stay… you better make it worth it.”

“Dunno what promises you’re talking about, Cas… my memory is terrible in the mornings…” and goes back to bite Cas’ neck.

“Oh really?” and sneaking down starts licking Dean’s nipple, making him moan. “I bet I can make your memory come back”, and goes up to catch Dean’s lips with his.

“That rings a bell…I  _may_  remember something about kissing… but I don’t recall much more… if only I had someone to remind me…” Dean says stroking Cas’ hair, gripping him tight to lift him up and kissing him deep and slow. “Mhm man, your mouth drives me crazy… so soft and warm… I love it when it tastes like me.” He keeps his mouth going into his neck, and with a moan sucks Cas’ skin, marking him his. “There; mark… checked!” and bites again, Castiel groaning.

“I need to… OH GOD…” Cas can’t find the words because Dean is now working his mouth all the way to his earlobe, sucking it; their hands flying through their bodies, exploring each other.

“Well, would you look at that… I don’t like the color of my mark… your skin is hard… gonna have to bite a little more… mhmmm it tastes great…” and now he takes a path through Cas’ skin up to his nipple and kisses it softly before barely biting it. “I can be a biter too, you know. I can be whatever you want me to be. You just need to ask, Babe” he says while travelling up to Cas neck again, taking a time at the mark, licking then taking the earlobe and sucking it, “What do you want me to do to you, Babe?”

“Uhm, Dean I need…”, Cas whispers in Dean’s ear, “I want you to kiss me all from my mouth to my thighs and back. Kiss my dick and make me squirm… make me feel your fingers inside me and… oh God, Dean… don’t stop!... Fill me full… make love to me, soft and tender and then fuck me hard, use me and let me use you. But most of all I want to look you in the eyes as you come inside me” his hoarse voice doing bad, naughty things to Dean’s soul.

“Seems someone has a list… I got my own bullet list…  _First_...” and instead of keep on speaking he travels his mate’s chest, planting hundreds of tiny wet kisses all the way down to his thighs, avoiding his crotch, kissing, biting, leaving marks on his lover’s inner thighs.

“Uhm… More, yes.. Gosh… you’ve become quite a biter, I like that.” Castiel pants, gripping the bed sheets. He sees Dean’s grin as he travels back up to his mouth, dragging his teeth through the chest… biting, licking and finally taking Cas’ mouth on his own, biting Cas’ lips and kissing him deeply.

“ _Second_ …” Dean breathes into Cas’ mouth and manhandles him to the edge of the bed. “Stay put…” he says while going to his knees, parting Cas’ legs and kissing his thighs. Dean licks and kisses all around, leaving the cock unattended and twitching painfully. He buries his face in Cas’ pubic hair and, blowing kisses, he licks the skin through the pubic hair. Cas moans and pants; the closeness of Dean’s mouth to his dick is driving him crazy… Dean smiles into Cas’ groin when his mate grabs the bed sheets so tight it seems he’s gonna rip them up, calling Dean’s name and arching his back when the Alpha kisses the base of his dick, slowly licking his way up, and shoves the whole length inside his mouth, in one single movement, deep throating him, humming and working his tongue around as much as he can, given his inexperience. Dean was expecting having a hard time with the gag reflex but it all came to him naturally and he’s loving every second of his lover's cock inside his throat. Castiel's moans are loud and incoherent and Dean knows he’s close so he stops and slowly removes his mate’s dick from his mouth. “I love it when you’re loud”, he says with his voice hoarse from the deep throat, and squeezing Cas’ cock he kisses the Omega’s perineum.

“ _Third..._ ” Dean announces as he starts kissing around Cas’ rim; his slick making him ready to receive his mate’s knot but Dean has an action plan and he’s gonna stick to it. Dean kisses and licks the rim, smiling at the sounds and the squirms coming out of his mate.

“Fuck… Oh God, Dean… Fuck!”. Dean’s tongue’s back to the perineum while the first finger passes the rim, going in as long as the first phalange, removing it and going back in, time after time… “Teaser” Castiel manages to say, his breath way too short; Dean laughs, inserting the whole finger and removing it again, then in goes a second finger while his tongue continues to work around the base of the dick. His own cock complaining now at being neglected, he needs Cas so badly it physically hurts.

Dean strokes his fingers in two more times and he whispers “ _Fourth_ ” and he takes Castiel by the waist and places him at the center of the bed, jumping on him and pinning him to the bed, kissing him deeply. “I forgot what Four was” Dean breaths into Cas’ mouth.

“I swear to God that if you fucking dare to stop I’m gonna kick your ass” Cas says in a whimper, pushing his hardness into Dean’s, and that’s too freaking much; Dean takes Cas’ legs over his shoulders and opens the angle of his own knees to position himself and, in a single thrust he buries himself into Cas. Both men breathless, unmoving and transfixed at the sensation of each other; this is the final step, the point of no return, the milestone of their lives together.

Dean remains still to give Cas time to accommodate to the intrusion, neither able to speak, gaze fixed on the other drinking on each other’s every reaction, every breath taken and every blink. “Please, Dean… move, for God’s sake, move…” Cas pleads as he begins to move his hips up to push more of Dean’s hard cock inside himself. Dean complies, breathing out in a whimper and biting Castiel’s knees at the sensation of the tight tunnel around his dick; he begins to move very slowly and carefully, with little thrusts at first, slick slicing out of Cas allowing Dean to move further and faster without hurting Castiel.

“Oh, Cas, my Babe… so beautiful when needy… so precious when asking for more and so damn hot when demanding…” There was undeniable love in the tone of voice.

Dean's pace is faster and harder, making Cas groan and, fastening the thrust even more, he kisses his Omega deep, both men hungry for lips and tongues. Dean goes to kiss Cas' neck to mark him again. “ _Fifth_ ” Castiel teases but Dean doesn’t understand so with a grin the Omega says “Harder” and Dean obeys, because Cas is not asking, he is demanding and _demanding!Cas_ is the hottest thing ever. “Oh, fuck, yes! More… there! Yes… there… please, Babe… don’t stop… please!” and Castiel’s plea makes Dean lose his mind, his pace is now brutal, he’s about to knot his mate for the first time and that thought makes Dean harder; his dick is now swelling against Castiel’s prostate and the Alpha comes hard with his mouth full of Cas’ name and a cry that Cas cannot decipher but that sounds like blasphemy.

Dean can barely breathe from the effort but, as he fills Cas with his seed as promised, and lying atop his mate, he says: “Fifth is achieved...Sixth is on the table now, dear… you owe me something” and he grabs Cas' cock and strokes him as he continues to move inside Cas, as much as the knot allows him to, making Cas moan and ask in a prayer “More.. please, more… I am almost there… Oh God this feels so good…” making Dean come for the second time, biting Cas' lip and almost crying; his hand making slow turns around Cas’ cock, stroking at the same pace as he moves inside his mate. Cas feels so full, so satisfied and complete, so right that he comes harder than ever, arching his back, orgasm rising from his groin up to his head and exploding with Dean’s name in a loud cry.

They remain in bed, knotted together, milking Dean away; kissing and touching, whispering words of worship for each other, and after a while it’s just hugging and breathing in each other’s necks, feeling the comfort of their smell, that new perfume that’s the mix of them both.

Finally untangled, knot receded and lying properly on the bed, Dean kisses Cas’ temple and whispers “I meant every word I said”.

Cas takes a few seconds to fix his eyes into Dean’s, but this time not to figure out whether he is true or not, but just for the sake of the green of his eyes, for the joy of it. “Me too… same”. It will take a while for the actual words to be spoken, right now all Castiel needs is his lover to hold him tight.

“Now, c’mon Cas, we need a shower. Lemme clean you…” and looking at the bed he says: “We probably need to change the sheets, too.”

“Nuh hu, I don’t want to leave the bed ever… come here… I think you skipped a bullet in that list of yours.”

“Oh God! I’ve created a nymphomaniac!” Dean slaps Cas’ ass and has to control himself to stop touching him. “We’ve got the whole time in the world, okay? I’m not going anywhere… not ever. So, up-up!” As he grabs the sheets and pulls to throw Castiel off the bed, he lands on the floor, naked and beautiful. He stands up with a killer look in his eyes but ends up laughing while running after Dean to the bathroom.

They shower together, just cleaning their bodies… until Cas pins Dean to the wall and kisses him hard. “Woah, easy tiger. I need some rest” responding to Cas’ kiss anyway. “We’ll take  _that_  kind of shower another time” he says with a wink-wink and Cas laughs harder.

“Fair enough… you’ve proven to be reliable so I’ll wait” they towel each other lovingly and, holding Cas’ hand, Dean takes him to their bed; because Dean’s known for certain since a few weeks’ time that they are each other’s forever, no matter what or who tries to come in between; they’re one from now on with; no expiration date.

Back in bed they realize it’s only six in the morning so they decide to just lay there until Ruby makes the breakfast call. They talk about college and girlfriends but some secrets are not reveled yet.

Dean won’t mention Lisa because it’s a way too complicated subject for a light conversation, she was not just another bimbo in his life, she had been the most important person in his life until Castiel appeared; and then we’ve got Ben… and he is someone Dean has the more urgency to talk about… but not just now, not after their first time, it wouldn’t have been appropriate. Cas won’t talk about him being apparently mated to a phantom Alpha when he was 16; that’s a topic he’s not ready to go through yet; they’ve just found each other, they’ve just mated… Castiel won’t risk Dean’s affection to be jeopardized for something that he doesn’t even know what it was, something that happened more than ten years before.

**

There’s a knock on the door and Dean realizes they’ve fallen asleep again; he gets up wrapping a towel around his waist and opens the bedroom door. “Wakey wakey sleepy heads!” Ruby teases, grinning already at her brother in law smiling back at her. “Oh man, you better comb your hair or the family will flip… well… clothes might actually help a bit too.” And she doesn’t need to pretend she’s not interested in what happened in Dean’s room because she is definitely trying to peek inside above Dean’s shoulder… or underneath it, you’d say given her height. “Uhmmm did you guys have a good night?” and barks a laugh when Dean gives her his best bitch face. “Oh man, Winchesters can be such prudes… alright, alright… I’ll shut up” she says taking a step back. “Breakfast is in 20. Come to think of it…I’ll come for you two before giving the general call… I wouldn’t want any other to see you two leaving the bedroom together and have a stroke or something…” she says rolling her eyes.

“Well, good morning to you two, sister. We’ll put some clothes on and meet you downstairs in a moment.”

“You do that. In the meantime I am gonna threaten your brother to shut it, otherwise he’s gonna make fun of you and all the pheromones Castiel is spreading… I don’t think it’s gonna be wise, you know… with Bobby and all…”

“Yeah, you better tell him to keep it cool” and closes the door having a small panic attack that lasted as long as it took to remember that he had already made Castiel his official boyfriend… no one can say a word about them having sex. He’s not 18, after all. He goes and gently shakes Castiel’s arm to wake him up. “Babe, come and get dressed. It’s time for breakfast and inquisition”, taking Cas' hand to pull him off the bed while the Omega pouts and complains.

**

Cas took a little longer to get dressed so when they finally came down to the kitchen it was just like walking into a mine field.

They walk in almost holding hands and Cas wearing one of Dean’s old AC/DC t-shirts that was made to make a stand. No one seems to notice them until Castiel greets, “Good morning! Sam, Ruby, thank you for letting me stay last night” he avoids mentioning that nobody had invited him over. “Bobby, Ellen, good morning to you, too. I’ll get you a copy of my burgers recipe after breakfast”. Everybody greets back and Ellen smiles at him. While sitting next to Dean and in front of Bobby, Cas faces Jo, who’s looking at him like trying to kill him with her mind. “Hello, Jo… everything okay at the restaurant last night? Could you handle it? I bet you did… Ruby, this coffee is excellent!... So, Jo, did you like going to the bar with Charlie and Meg? Aren’t them a cute couple?... Please, anyone… shut me up, maybe?...”

There’s a general laughter while Jo looks at him with a serious look; she knows he’s her boss and has to be polite or risk her mom to take her back to Lawrence. She sips her coffee and says: “It went all okay. The Angel’s Pit is not really very different from the Road House, it’s just fancier.” She takes a bite out of her croissant and ventures: “The bar was actually awesome, I lost track of time and when I came back at 5.30 I couldn’t sleep at all… too much noise, weird sounds all around our wing”. If Cas could turn any redder, he would become a tomato. “I got all scared until I realized the noise was coming from inside the house and I…”

“STOP! I have an announcement to make” Ruby says fast and loud. “Castiel’s trust fund covers us. And as you may or may not know, my uncle owns half the firm so, we’re good.” She takes a moment to breathe and looks at Sam asking for help but he finds it all very funny, he doesn’t seem to read his sister very well. Ruby knows better.

She’s not mistaken because Jo charges again. “Excuse me, Ruby, but I was telling a story, you know?” and turning to look at Cas in the eyes she continues: “So there I was, heading to my room when there were noises… strong noises, like someone bawling…” smiling scornfully, tone and face mocking her boss.

She was so focused in making Castiel uncomfortable that she almost jumps off her chair when Ellen, sat next to her, shouted “JOANNA BETH, SHUT YOUR MOUTH. We all live in the same house and nobody else heard anything.” She was about to drink her coffee when she suddenly remembers “And what in the name of God were you doing outside at 5.30 in the morning, lady?”

“Oh mom, please!” but she knows she’s pushed too far and is desperately trying to find a way out of her own mess. “I was with Char and Meg, alright? First I helped closing the restaurant; then, and you knew I would because I came home to grab clothes, I went to a bar to have a drink or two and…”

“Or five…” says Sam handling a glass of orange juice to his sister. “Here, have this; it will help with the hangover and will keep your mouth shut.”

She takes the glass but carries on with her whining. “As I was saying… thank you, Sam… I went to this club full of girls and I talked and laughed a lot and when I checked my phone it was 5AM… I just lost track of time. I said that before, mom!”

“Is this how you’re gonna be responsible of your own or are you gonna give Dean a hard time controlling you as if you were a child?”

The rest of the table seems to have disappeared into their coffees.

“Today is my day off, mom. I work very hard and I deserve to loosen up a little. I am not gonna be clubbing, you know it’s not my thing.”

Bobby looks at them as if it is a regular thing… well, to them it is… but suddenly he seems to think it’s a good moment to finally snap.  “Boy, you tell me right now what the hell are you doing? Why is Castiel here in the morning… why are you fucking him at your brother’s house and next to Jo’s room?” He’s furious and even Ash, who’s never minded Bobby yelling before, lifts the head and starts looking at everyone in turns.

“Why don’t you mind your own damn business, Bobby? Why do you care whether Castiel is here or not? He is and he’s gonna be with me for as long as he wants to.” He takes less than a second to smile at Cas and turns back at Bobby, “As I said yesterday…” he places an arm around his mate’s shoulder and looks at Bobby defiant: “Boyfriend!”

Now, Sam won’t stay out, he’s been respectfully quiet because Bobby is like his father but he can’t stand this anymore. “Stop it Dean!” and his brother looks at him shocked. “I have something to say. Bobby, I love you but YOU WERE FUCKING MY MOM EVERY DAY HERE… we’ve tried not to think about it, we always try not to, we’re always understanding of your feelings for each other. Of all the people at this table you are the worst person to tell Dean who and where to fuck his mate.” None of them can believe Sam is actually saying all this. “If we can deal with  _that_ , you better fucking deal with  _this_ … back off and deal with the fact that Dean has a mate… an Omega male mate. If Ruby and I don’t have any problem with them having sex in our own damn house then you don’t have anything to say about it. Now  _EAT_!”

But of course no one has ever seen Bobby taking that kind of crap, so well: “I wouldn’t care less if he mates to an Omega Dog… I don’t think he’s thinking it all through… about staying and everything” the old man shouts back.

“Oh. My. God.” Each word paused for dramatic effect. “You’re saying that the only thing you’ve got a problem with is Dean staying in LA?” Ruby is honest in her surprise. “Don’t you ever talk things through in this family? Bobby, please, c’mon Dad; seriously… that’s a lame excuse to stay mad at your son for the third day in a row…” and turning to Jo she changes the tone, and more severely she tells her: “And you, girl, get a grip! You could have waited a few more days to go out, California is not going anywhere, you know?” and with a sigh she tells everyone, “Now, seriously… please eat. Breakfast is awesome…”

Jo looks as if someone has crushed her with a hammer and Ruby pities her. She gets closer and whispers: “Jo, sister, look… stop it, alright? Stop torturing yourself over him… he’s taken, girl… there are plenty of fish in the sea” and with a wink she drinks her coffee.

Castiel has never felt so out of place. The only reason he is not leaving for good is Dean’s hand on his leg, like promising he’s gonna fight for him even with his own father.

Winchester’s breakfast table has never been so quiet.


	18. You Can Let Go

_Baby, babe gonna be alright_  
Cause I`m by your side  
When the whole world turns against you  
You can let go

 

Castiel is at the small office going through the restaurant bills, taking notes, summing up and putting it all together to keep their accounting records in order; they have enough chaos around with the suing thing already.

Checking on the date it strikes him he’s known Dean for only three weeks and he literally cannot live without him anymore; hell, he can’t even stop thinking about him while he’s doing numbers, and numbers are supposed to be relaxing… well, not for regular people, maybe; but he feels he can actually trust them… except for prime numbers, because everybody knows prime numbers can be intimidating.

When alone, Cas has certain fears. What if it is all a dream? They’ve practically fell for each other the second they’ve met and it all had been perfect from then on; they got to know the other a tiny bit, they had the kind of sex you get with an life time partner, as if they’d known each other for years. And still…

And still everything Charlie’s always insisting on makes him think. What if it all is true? What if she is right when she says that Dean is an Alpha, not even local, ready to leave Castiel whenever he gets tired of him? And the thought of ending up with a broken heart, sad, used and alone freaks him out. What if Castiel can’t take that again? No, Dean wouldn’t do that. He’s his world. He’s his mate.

But his friend doesn’t believe in mating. Charlie’s firm belief is that it’s a stupid fairy tale, and she has always believed she should fight the fairies. Alpha males are, in her opinion, morons who use Omegas for their own pleasure only to drop them in the bit of a hat when they get bored. It won’t matter how many times Cas has explained it to her that Dean is nothing like that, that he  _IS_  Castiel’s mate, in body and soul; that they belong to each other;  because, mating crap aside, they enjoy the time together, holding hands, talking, just sharing time. They’re tied not only at hormone level; their souls are fused into one, too. So no matter how much Char tries to talk him out of his relationship with Dean, deep inside he is convinced that no matter what happens with them, at the end they will  _always_  be mates; never mind if together or not.

Cas is rambling around this thought when Char drops a foil with résumés in front of him. Replacing Charles has been harder than they’d thought and they are desperate to find a sous-chef because the past three weeks have been chaotic and stressful. They have two other chefs to interview, a man and a woman. Tonight they are testing the fourth one from the last batch, their hopes are on him; the last three candidates did nothing to impress them, one of them too technical and the others too green; so they hope one of these two will be the chosen one.

“I like this one”, says Cas pointing at the woman’s résumé, “she has the experience and the skills… ehrr, I mean, look at this… she’s young and she worked at good places.” Without looking up from the papers, he handles the résumé to Char.

“Yeah, I see what you mean… still, I think Nathaniel is gonna do pretty good… dunno, Cassie. It’s not like we’ve got all the time in the world or that we can afford a very experienced chef with delusion of fame and money” says Char with her own eyes on the résumé. None of them is looking at each other, and that hurts them both.

“Uh huh… yes, I like him too, Char” he says while smiling faintly but not managing to soften his friend’s face. Distractedly, gathering all the paperwork in front of him to avoid Char’s gaze, he continues: “Look, Charlie, Dean is coming today. Not sure at what time because he has an interview in a motor shop a mile from here, I guess he’s gonna show up around noon”.

“What? You are kiddin’ me, right?” She stands up from the desk corner she’s been sat on and says: “I am NOT okay with that!” She shouts, oblivious of the crew working outside the office. She knows she’s not being fair but she can’t help it but acting like she’s mother hen and Cas is her chick.

“Do I sound like I am asking, Charlie? He’s my boyfriend, whether you like it or not. Your own girlfriend works here, for God’s sake. Have I ever said anything about it? No, never. She’s been a good worker but she’s still your girlfriend and I have never said a word when she’s distracted because you two had an argument. Have I?” He is also now standing up, hands on the desk, his body leaned forward in total distress. “I will  _not_  ask for permission for my boyfriend to visit me in my restaurant, since  _your_  girlfriend is here  _every day._ ” Cas takes a deep breath to calm down, realizing Char is not arguing back. “Look, I am not gonna apologize for us, Charlie, he’s coming and that’s a fact. I know you’re worried and you think you should protect me, but don’t… just don’t anymore, please. Stop plotting with Jo, she’s his little sister and that’s all she’ll ever be to him. You are not protecting me… you’re hurting her, my friend. Dean will never love her back the way she wants him to.” He thinks he can see tears forming in Char’s eyes, and that hurts even more. “I need my friend back, Char, I miss you. I can’t have you mad at me all the time. Please, Char. I really miss you.”

She finally looks up and their eyes meet. “I can’t make any promises, Cassie, but I am gonna try harder” and her lips curve up imitating a smile that won’t show in her eyes. Castiel understands that’s all she can give right now and he appreciates it.

“Thanks, sweet heart. You should really get to know Dean… he’s awesome” and, once again, he can’t help but to smile really big with all his face just at the mention of his name.

“I hope so, Cassie, I really hope so…” With a faint smile, she goes straight into the kitchen honestly hopping she is wrong about the Alpha.

Glass of water in hand, Char reclines her back on the counter and nods at Jo to make her get closer and, whispering, she says: “Your brother is coming today, so please play the nice girl and don’t confront him here at the restaurant, ok?” Drinking some water, Char rolls her eyes at the exasperated look on Jo’s face. “Don’t give me that look, girl. You think I changed my mind?  _HA_! Keep on dreaming… I am just giving them a break. The plan goes on… Now, go and arrange the tables.”

Jo, red with anger, snorts loudly but says nothing. She’s mad and sad and a little bit jealous, all at the same time, and wonders how she’s gonna manage to conceal it from Dean… Will he notice her, though? She decides it’s gonna be better to stay out of his way; she will stay put and play dumb, for the sake of the plan. Lisa had tried and failed… Does this guy seriously think he can take Dean away from her?

Charlie washes the glass and jumps at the sound of a tray falling on the floor. “Alfie, are you alright? Man, I am used to see you nervous but today you look like crap.” She lifts the tray and hands it to the boy. “Are you even sleeping? Look at the bags under your eyes! You feel ok? Are you eating?”

“Yeah, yeah… I eat, I sleep… I’m Okay. I might be catching something, though.” he answers but never looks at her in the eyes.

Charlie is no fool, there is something going on with Alfie and she knows it; the day is already quite complicated: the chef testing and, especially, having to put the plan about Dean in status quo, so she drops it for now. No, she won’t say anything today… but she won’t forget.

**

Back at the house, Ellen and Bobby are getting ready since they leave for Lawrence tonight. They’re early packing so to be able to spend the day saying goodbye.  Dean’s job interview at the motor shop is around 11.30, so he’s got no choice but going and after that he’s probably visiting Cas for a few minutes and then he’s gonna stay around his parents for the rest of the day.

“Dean, honey, you ready for the interview? Don’t be nervous, you’re gonna be alright. You always are.” Ellen hugs him for luck.

“Of course he will, I taught the idjit everything he knows… and he’s damn good at it” Bobby grunts dismissing his woman. “Stop babying him. Start worrying about me; it’s me who has to find a new mechanic to replace the princess.” He complains and Dean feels really guilty but he also knows there is nothing else he can do.

“Bobby please, I am sorry… alright? I just can’t go back right now… I will…” but Bobby cuts him cold.

“Save it, boy. I’ve always managed to survive… I will do it again. Just go to your fucking interview” and shows his affection tapping Dean’s back, leaving immediately before his face betrays him. Dean smiles at Ellen and she shrugs; that’s her man, she won’t change him.

Dean’s driving Baby to the job interview and is nervous. He knows Bobby’s right, he is an awesome mechanic and he owes it all to Bobby; but he can’t help but to feel like he’s gonna take his SAT or something. He knows he can nail it but he needs this to go right. It’s not like he cannot get another job but this one is just perfect. Not only the cash is great but the position is for head mechanic and he loves the responsibility, he prefers supervising and ordering things than being ordered around, he’s definitely not used to that. The motor shop is also half way from both Sam’s and Castiel’s. So yes, it is a great opportunity… he’ll have to do better than nail it.

Half past noon, Baby rolling smoothly and shotgun full of papers to fill in, Dean heads towards the Angel’s Pit with a smirk on his face. As he enters the restaurant he waves at Charlie and kisses Jo on the cheek. Cas had told him to enter the kitchen without asking for permission, but Dean knows better, so he looks at Char, eyebrows lift and pointing to the kitchen door. “D’ya mind if I…” he knows there’s no need to finish the sentence.

“Not at all, Winchester; go on... your  _mate_  is waiting for you” she says, making the term sound almost filthy.

Dean decides to ignore her, because the alternative is having a confrontation and he’s got no time for it right now. He takes mental note, though; he  _is_  coming back to this eventually.

As soon as Dean opens the kitchen door he knows there’s something wrong… how couldn’t he. Cas’ face is redder than ever, he’s gesturing and almost yelling at the young slippery-fingers boy, the other two kitchen attendants have their heads down, trying to melt with the appliances so Castiel won’t see them. Alfie has his back to Cas, cleaning something that he probably spilled on the counter; the other two guys set in motion, one of them mopping the floor and the other moving things around the shelves… not really doing anything but trying to hide from his boss.

Cas, hands going through his hair as if trying to calm himself down but not quite succeeding, looks like he is about to collapse but all his worries seem to vanish as soon as he sees Dean standing by the door; his face softens and he smiles. “Hello, Dean. Would you please wait for a minute at the bar?”

“Sure, Cas.” Dean winks and goes out feeling sorry for Alfie, he’s never seen Castiel like that… he kinda likes it, though. ‘ _Regular Omega my ass, that’s my boyfriend’_ , Dean thinks with a smile.

Cas tries to regain composure before turning back to yell at Alfie. “You better stop daydreaming, Alfie; I am so done with this shit. If you can’t put up with your crap… well… I am so sorry but this is gonna be it.” Cas sighs; he so hates having to do this but Alfie is really becoming an issue, financially speaking. “We’ve always dealt with the fact that you are clumsy and your hands are slippery but this is getting ridiculous.” He gets closer to Alfie so not to freak out the other kitchen staff. “Look, you can’t drop everything because someone approaches from behind, what are you afraid of? If you don’t wanna talk to me it’s alright by me, but you gotta stop it. This is my final warning. Stop the crap or you’re out. I don’t care how much I like you.” And as he turns to leave the kitchen, he addresses the other guys and tells them: “You keep up the good work, sorry about this”.

Just leaving the kitchen with a frown, his face lights up at the sight of Dean waiting patiently for him; his soul almost literally bursts with joy, he smiles at his mate and forgets it all about the restaurant… almost.

“Hey, Babe, need a break? I’d say you do…” Dean tells him, trying to make him relax a bit.

“Yes, please. Just five minutes, but yes” he replies and, looking at Char, he tells her: “I’ll go outside for five minutes, would you be a dear and check that Alfie won’t set the restaurant on fire?” because, for God’s sake, it’s not completely out of the possibilities.

Charlie is clearly not amused by the situation but she has the decency to not to argue. She’s gonna come back to this later. And she seems to do that a lot lately.

As soon as they leave the restaurant and are out of the glass door view, Dean grabs Cas by the waist and kisses him, chaste because of the location and the time of the day but intimate enough to make Castiel’s smile show in his eyes.

“Let’s go to the alley”, Cas winks at Dean making him smile now, “garbage is taken in a few hours, we can have some privacy there.”

“Oh, Babe, you have the filthiest foreplay talking… Pun intended” they both laugh while heading to the alley and start kissing properly. “I can’t believe I lived without this for almost thirty years” Dean whispers into Cas’ mouth without stopping kissing him. He grabs his lower back and pins Cas to the wall.

“Dean… it’s a shitty day at the restaurant, and you’re making it hard for me to want to get back to it… You know I live literally upstairs and…” but he stops panting for air and hugging Dean tight.

“I’ve got great news!” Dean says in between kisses planted on Cas’ neck.

“What… tell me… Oh God, stop…please, Dean!” Cas can only mumble.

Laughing, Dean says, “I got the job, Babe! I want to celebrate it with you, ASAP. But probably not today, right? You said we’ve got only minutes… Tksss man, that’s bad…”

“But no, Dean! This is so good; you’ve got the job so this means you start to have your life here for good!” Cas is shining now.

“What d’ya mean, Babe? My life is where you are… you still don’t get it?”  Cas’ eyes are so bright, so full of love that Dean cannot do anything but to kiss him deeply again and again.

“So, Cas…. Only minutes? You’re sure about that?” Dean breaths the words into Cas’ ears, sending shivers to his spine.

“God, shit, yes… I’m sorry, Dean…” it’s so hard to make sense when his mate’s crotch is pushing against his. “Please, seriously, stop… I can’t think… sorry, I just can’t today nor tomorrow… the place is a mess and we’ve got two more chefs to try… We have to make the decision ASAP.” Fuck, Cas wants to celebrate so badly. “And you already heard, Alfie is worse than ever… dunno what got into the kid but sure as hell I’m gonna find out.”

“It’s okay, Babe. No, really… easy… it’s okay. We can celebrate another day.  Say we talk or text later, shall we? Now, give your boyfriend a kiss goodbye and go back to work.”

They kiss with their whole bodies as if melting into each other and sharing their last kiss ever. It may have been a minute or an hour, they wouldn’t say, but when they finally split they were breathless and high on pheromones. “I’ll text you later, okay?” Dean enters the Impala and lowers the window to kiss Cas one more time, just a tiny kiss good bye.

Cas remembers Ellen and Bobby are flying home today but he won’t be able to say goodbye personally so he asks Dean: “Kiss Ellen goodbye from me, please… I’d send greetings to Bobby too but you know…” and then whispers in Dean’s ear: “My swollen lips will remind me of you all day through” He kisses Dean harsh and deep one more time. “Here, something for the road.” Cas winks and leaves toward the restaurant, leaving Dean with the key in the ignition with a silly smile in the face, whispering to himself:  _‘one day you’re gonna be the death of me but so far life with you is perfect… I wish I could say it with words, Babe’_. As if Cas could hear him, he turned around before entering the restaurant and waved goodbye with a smile that would brighten Dean’s whole day.

**

Once back at the house, Dean spends the rest of the day hanging around his folks, partly celebrating his new job, partly saying goodbye. All in all it’s a good day for them. Ellen is a little bit sad because Jo and Dean will stay; it just hit her that she will have to run the Roadhouse alone (not that Ash is of much help, you know) and begins to fear her time alone when the bar closes. The house is gonna feel so empty and lonely. There’s an idea she’s been going around for a while now, but she’s not ready to tell Bobby about it.

Bobby himself is grumpier and louder than ever and anything anyone says to him is an excuse for an argument but Dean won’t pick up the fight. He doesn’t want his father’s last day with them to be a bad memory.  So he tries to talk to Bobby but he won’t listen, that’s as much as Dean can do to mend things with his surrogate dad.

Sam’s day has gone by with him trying not to cry, sobbing when nobody was looking. The house is too big and having it filled with his family, his loved ones, has turned it into a home as he has always dreamt of. Ruby doesn’t even try to conceal her tears; she is definitely going to miss having his mate’s folks around every day. Oh, they will come back soon for the wedding but it’s not soon enough.

“Well, it’s time, kids” Ellen announces. Their luggage is already loaded into the SUV but Ellen and Bobby won’t leave their places on the couch and Ash is saying goodbye to Sally, his personal booze provider around the house and actually his latest crush… not that he ever said anything to her… silly Ash.

“Er, family… I am not gonna go to the airport, I don’t think I can manage more crying… I am so gonna miss you, guys.” Ruby hugs both Ellen and Bobby at the same time and she's hugged in return. “Please come back soon! We’ll see you at the wedding but please… PLEASE come more often” she says and starts crying again in Ellen’s shoulder.

“Oh girl… thank you so much for taking us in. I am so happy that you and Sam are together… I couldn’t have asked for a better girl for my baby. Please take care of him… and of his brothers too, please.” Ellen takes Ruby’s hair with the hand to show her care. “And don’t hesitate to control Jo, if she ever gives you a hard time you just call me and she’s gonna be home in a blink.”

“Mom! I’m gonna behave, stop it! I am going to miss you too… can I have a hug?” Jo complains but her eyes are watery. All of a sudden she feels like a baby again, but she won’t say it because she has to stay in LA. “Thank you for trusting me, mom” she says into the hug.

“Oh my baby girl, you’re a woman now… I expect you to call me every week, though. And you better listen to Dean, lady, or Ruby will call me… I know your ass of a brother will never tell on you.” But she hugs her daughter closer than ever anyway.

“You’re driving, Dean. I don’t feel like it… d’ya mind?” Sam hands Dean the car keys.

“Not at all, baby bro.”

So the three siblings, Winchesters and Harvell alike, get in the SUV together with their parents and head to the airport.

They all rode in silence, Ash sat alone on the back of the vehicle, Ellen is holding Jo’s and Sam’s hands on the back seat, she’s too emotional to say anything that won’t sound teary and Bobby’s looking through the shotgun window, brow frowned and lips tightly shut, eyes watery and avoiding Dean’s gaze. Dean grabs the wheel tight, breathes deeply and a single tear falls from his left eye when he feels a hand on his shoulder: that’s Ellen trying to comfort him. He would have given anything for this drive to be taken in a completely different way. Bobby is breaking his heart, but then again, Dean is also breaking his.

Dean parks the SUV at the passenger's drop area, the boys put the luggage on a cart and close the back door to say good bye. Ash gives everyone a hug and takes the cart inside the glass door. Ellen hugs them three in turn, Jo and Sam first. She moves to talk to Dean for a few seconds: “Give your old man a while… don’t worry, kid, he’ll come around… eventually” and hugs him closer, longer and tighter, because she knows how hard this is for him. While wrapped by Ellen’s hug he sees Bobby hug and kiss Sam and Jo but when it’s his turn, Bobby shakes his hand.

“Have a safe flight, Bobby” Dean’s smile and voice flutters. Bobby won’t say a word; he just nods and pats Dean’s face, turning around and taking Ellen’s hand as they follow Ash inside.

The three siblings get inside the SUV and ride home in a gloomy mood.

 


	19. That's The Way I Like It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beta alert! Out dear Patinesa is on vacations so she’s going to check this chapter whenever she comes back home… right now she’s sending us pictures of herself relaxing in Bariloche (you should google the place… it’s awesome!)

_Somebody told me that you`re not my kind_  
So how I lost my mind   
You keep on doing all the things I like  
You`ve got me hypnotized  
That`s the way I like it

 

It’s Friday afternoon and the work at the restaurant is still slow, so Alfie takes a little time for himself -a break to think before he snaps-. Castiel had made it clear, if he keeps on breaking things he’s gonna fire him; he’s never taken his boss’ threats seriously because he’s a nice guy and he really likes Alfie; but now maybe Alfie’s gone too far… “Too late, you moron…dammit, I wish I hadn’t…” he whispers to himself. “Charlie! I’m gonna take my break in the alley, okay?” he asks Char before going out.

“Sure, Alfie. Just try not to hurt yourself, okay?” Char calls back distractedly barely lifting her eyes from the reservation book.

Once at the alley he looks everywhere to make sure there’s nobody around and takes his phone out. He dials and his heart races fast. One, two, three rings and he thinks she won’t pick up at all. “ _Dammit_ ” says Alfie out loud to no one but himself, “ _Fuck it all_ ”.

He dials again and this time she answers, “Hi, yeah, it’s me… No, no… wait, I am not telling anyone. No… it’s just… I am nervous and anxious, haven’t slept too much lately… my boss is suspicious… No, it’s not that! It’s just that I am clumsier than ever. He has already threatened to fire me if I don’t put myself together… yes, I know… I said I _know_ , okay?” He listens to the person on the other side of the line for a couple of minutes, looking up to the sky and slightly bumping the back of his head against the wall, “I know… sweetheart, I can’t anymore. I need you. When do I get to see you? Don’t you miss me? It’s been long enough… yeah, patience is a virtue… I don’t care about virtue… But… but, you’ve promised! Ok… ok… Well, now that you mention it, yes I am a little short also… yes… alright… I know, but cabs are not cheap and you said… ok… no, not so much… okay. Tomorrow? I hope so… okay, hun. Noon?  12.30? Okay. Same place. Yes, I love you so much and I miss you… bye, sweetie”

**

Ruby arrives at her desk at 9 sharp. She’s got a lot of paperwork to go through and she’s definitely not in the mood.

With the departure of his mate’s folks, the Winchester siblings were quite depressed and she had to make an extra effort to make them hold a conversation at the dinner table the night before and then she comforted her man in bed. It was languid, tender, comfort sex; but it took longer than she had expected. The morning after she not so much regrets it but she wishes she had thought it through. It’s a very busy morning at the firm and she’s gotta be with all her senses focused, only she is so tired.

“Kevin, I need the Falcot case file. His lawyer called in earlier and I am not quite sure what he wants… he rumbled too much…” Ruby tells Kevin when he comes to say hi.

“Sure, Rubs, hold on a sec” Kevin goes to his own office and gets back with a rather thick folder full of paperwork, “Here, and I also found this envelope this morning… I checked it already… I think you’d be interested in opening it first”

Ruby trusts Kevin with her life and she knows he wouldn’t make a remark like that if he didn’t think it is important, so she checks the envelope first.

“Shit… Kev, get Castiel Novak on the phone, we need to brainstorm about the new approach on the case… you know… given the new information we’ve just got” Ruby says with a frown, “ _Scheiße_ , this is a setback… Kevin, we need to… err… I need to think this through. Put me through my Uncle, please, we are gonna need his advice on this one” she keeps on reading the document they’ve just received while drinking her tea, “Oh, and here, take the Falcot folder to Howard and tell him to call their lawyer and see what he wants… the guy’s a moron and I know he just wants to hassle us… I got no time for that crap” she is definitely upset now; the morning has just started and it is already gone to shit. “Tell Howard lunch on Monday is on me or whenever he wants, his restaurant choice, of course” She knows he’s going to pick Spago just because it’s expensive, but it’s worth it because if she wants to make things right for Castiel, she’s gonna need full focus on his case. She likes him a lot, the guy is her almost-brother-in-law’s mate, and in addition he is a nice person, a lovely shy guy with big blue eyes.

“Mr. Shurley on line three, Rubs!” She hears Kevin shout, damned kid, he never uses the intercom. She picks up the line in a rush.

“Hi, Chuck… how’s your brain this morning? Bored already? You’re not too busy, are you?” Ruby teases.

“Oh, my… what does my favorite niece need her old uncle Chuck for?” he teases back.

“I am your only niece, Chuck” Ruby smiles at the phone. “Wanna come over and help me out here? It’s a sort of family business for me and I’d appreciate your help”

“Dishonoring your brother and sister… this  must be good…and I was so bored! Sure, honey. I’m on my way… what if I grab some coffee and muffins or maybe you’d rather have cookies with your coffee? I want to celebrate my brainy niece needing my help for a change” he jokes.

“Awesome! Make it a two chocolate chips cookies and a  _Rosabaya_ , you better make it double… and I don’t mean double water but double capsule, don’t let them fool you this time, you know what? Make it  _moka_  with two sugars” and making her best imitation of her ten years old self “I love you, Uncle!” She definitely knows how to work her favorite Uncle, she’s known how to do it since she was five.

“Oh you still know how to play me, uh? Yeap, it still works, and I still don’t mind… I am on my way, dear” Chuck says in a laugh.

**

Castiel arrives at the Winchester Manor, as Dean and Cas call the house to tease Sam, around 3PM. He has his own keys by now, so he enters right into the living room where Sally is dusting.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Castiel. If you’re looking for Miss Ruby she is not home yet. But Mr. Dean is in his bedroom” she says with a kind smile. Cas nods, smiling wider, and runs upstairs to Dean’s room.

He enters the room without knocking, “Surprise!” Dean is on the bed reading a car magazine, shirtless and barefoot, but at the sound of Cas’ voice he pops his head and smiles, Cas says“… Well, hello there, Love… missed me?” he jumps into the bed next to Dean and goes from his belly button to his lips planting little kisses, tickling and making Dean laugh. “Ruby called earlier and asked me to come over to talk and, since she’s the best sister-in-law anyone could ask for, she told me to come early so we can spend some quality time together. Now drop the magazine and kiss me, lover boy” and the magazine flies off of Dean’s hands onto the floor.

Next Cas knows is his mate’s hands cupping his face and a mouth eagerly eating his lips out. Dean’s arms now hugging him close and kissing him deeper, harsh and tender in turn, “Did I miss you? Missing doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel when we’re apart, Babe” one hand is moving now through Cas’ back, touching tenderly, while the other starts unbuttoning Cas’ shirt, finding no trace of the usual undershirt, he looks at his mate in the eyes and coy he says “So… someone came ready enough, uh?, I like it”

“Good, because that’s not gonna change any time soon… I am always ready for you” Cas kisses and sucks Dean’s neck, biting from the crook to the ear, “Mmmh that’s leaving a mark… MineMineMineMine!”

Dean laughs and grabs Cas by the chin and kisses him deeply.

The door opens and someone screams.

They part the kiss in surprise to find Jo by the door, all teary and shocked, kicking the floor and, throwing a tantrum, she turns around and leaves the room slamming the door.

“Jo, Stop!” Dean yells, “Cas, Babe, I’ll be right back… sorry, man” and stands up to go after Jo. Once at her door he finds it locked so he knocks hard and calls, “C’mon, sweetheart, open the door, sister! Jo. Open. The. Door!” Still no answer, but he’s not gonna leave it like that, this is something they need to talk right now. “Sis, open the door… Please!...  _JOANNA BETH IF YOU DON’T OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT THIS MOMENTI I’LL CALL YOUR MOTHER AND I’LL SHIP YOU TO LAWRENCE WITHIN ONE FUCKING HOUR_!” she finally opens the door, ‘ _Thank God that worked’_ , Dean thinks.

“I’ve got nothing to say to you, Winchester. I did not need that rubbed to my face and that’s it… there’s nothing else I wanna talk about with you… ever”, her eyes red and wet.

“Stop it, Jo… c’mon, sister, talk to me. D’you rather talk to Sam or Ruby? I can call them… Look, I don’t wanna argue with you, but, seriously, Jo… I thought your crush on me was in the past… a teenage thing. You’re a grown woman now; it’s time to move on. I’ve been a brother to you since… well, since you were born. I am sorry but this has to stop” Dean tilts his head to his room and stops Jo’s attempts to complain by raising his hand, “That? That is my room, Jo, and if the door is closed it means is off limits. Being my sister doesn’t give you permission to enter without knocking. What if I was nude? Or jerking off, for fuck’s sake! It’s my room, Jo, not yours!” Dean says with all the calm he is capable of but not without conviction.

Jo turns red at the image of Dean jerking off or being nude, “I wouldn’t mind you being nude… I’ve seen you before” She reminds him but unconvinced.

“We were  _kids_ , Jo. That was not the freaking same thing and you know it” he begins to raise his voice.

“I know, but I’ve always entered your room like that” She sounds like a little girl now.

“Jo, girl, we haven’t lived together for ages now, that was when we were kids. And, as I recall, that was the reason I stopped jerking off in my bedroom. I was a horny teenager as well, you see, that’s why I am telling you all this. We need to set boundaries, Jo”

Jo looks really mad, now, both at being called horny  _and_  teenager, “But you were with  _HIM_! Just across the hall from  _ME_!” and the first tears start to drop.

“Jo, please… listen, and listen carefully because I am not gonna say this again” he grabs her by the shoulders and looks straight into the eyes, “That man in my room is my  _boyfriend_  and we do what boyfriends do… they kiss and… well, they go beyond. And that is just one of the reasons you need to knock if my door is closed, and that’s final. This is not a request. It’s an order” he states.

Jo is furious, sad and embarrassed, all at the same time. So she does what she does best, she shouts and cries, “He’s ruining everything! I hate him and I hate you too!” slamming the door on him.

“I should have done this years ago… fuck!” he says to the door and heads to his own bedroom. He knows this is a lost cause and tries to drop it; he may have Ruby talk to her later and see if a woman to woman chat can have a better result.

Dean enters his room with his head down, still hurt at Jo’s last words but the sight he finds almost makes him forget the last ten minutes. Castiel is lying naked on his bed and pats the bed next to him. Dean sits on the edge, trying to smile, “Sorry, Babe. She’s mad as hell and right this moment she hates us both” his voice sad. Castiel reaches out for him, touching Dean’s face and he thanks the mating crap that allows him to relax at his touch.

“Shhh… it’s okay, Dean. She’s gonna get over you… eventually. You’ve got a mate now. You’ve got me. She’s just shocked” Castiel smiles at him and kisses him tenderly, crawling on the bed and wrapping his legs around Dean’s waist, “Don’t let her ruin the mood. We don’t have a lot of time and (kiss) as you’ve probably noticed (kiss) we haven’t seen each other (kiss) in two days and (kiss) I want you (kiss) to focus on me now (kiss)”

And Dean focuses alright, because after the first kiss there was nothing else in his mind but Castiel. He got lost in the ocean of his blue eyes, on the silk of Cas’ belly, on the heat of Cas’ skin, on the roughness of Cas’ callous hands. He focuses on the burn he feels inside, on the warm on his own chest that grows every day whenever he thinks of his mate. Now when they are together, he gets lost the smell of Cas’ skin, the smell of his arousal, so different of his regular Omega smell, so hot and tasty. He especially focuses on the sensation of Cas’ teeth marking his skin as he travels his body kissing and biting.

When Cas mouth reaches Dean’s dick he totally loses it. There could be a parade in the bedroom and he wouldn’t care. This is too much, he tries to let his mind wander because Cas mouth is so hot and dedicated that he can feel his orgasm raising warm from his groin and the dizziness in his head is too perfect. No, he wants to last, he wants to enjoy the pleasure he’s receiving but most of all he wants to give pleasure, to return Castiel’s every move.

So put to focus, he focuses on the silk of Cas’ perpetual bed hair pulling it softly to take him close enough to kiss Cas’ on the warm lips.

So, all his attention is on giving his best to his mate. He consciously kisses every inch of Cas’ body; he starts with his face, forehead, eyes, cheeks, nose, lips, jaw, ears, neck; focuses on going south without rush, teasing Cas’ nipples, biting, sucking and kissing them. He feels his own dick complaining at the lingering, always selfish, but always rewarded for its patience. He follows with his lips the trace of the hair line from his ribcage to his navel. He could die feeling the touch of Cas’ hands on his head, lovingly messing with his hair. Dean takes his focus from Cas’ navel to set it on his thighs, grabbing him by the hips, kissing and biting and pulling and caressing. He focuses on Cas going mad of desire, going crazy with the touch of his lips and his hands; and the knowledge that he is the one making Cas feel like that makes Dean want to lose his mind.  

But he doesn’t.

He wants to give his mate the time of his life.

Biting Cas’ thigh gives him a first row sit for the show of his mate’s dick twitching and that’s just too much. He grabs Cas’ nuts and licks the shaft from bottom to top, circling the tongue around the head and sucking it hard, gulping the full length madly slowly. He touches his own cock for a moment, as if checking it hasn’t burst out of neglecting. It seems to be okay, wanting attention but otherwise fine. So his hand returns to his mate and starts teasing his hole, his wonderfully wet hole. His full attention is on his mate’s pleasure, sucking, licking, swallowing him wholly, and going mad of desire. And it’s time to focus on them both, because sometimes you have to work as a team.

He’s pulled up by Cas’ hands and Dean simply loses himself into his mate´s warmth, entering his hole… -feeling welcomed at home- pounding Cas slow and steady, making him crazy; but Cas goes first today (and every other day as well) and he won’t hurt him. He’s home now, so he can focus on Cas’ face and hands and breath; he knows when to move faster and when to slow down. He can feel the warmth in his stomach, in his thighs, in his legs, his testicles growing tighter and going impossibly high, he focuses on Cas’ dick, being rubbed between their bellies, his hands on Cas’ hips and his lips on his neck. His ears next to Cas’ mouth, so he can hear the best sound he’s ever heard. Cas is coming… Cas is coming and Dean made it.

Now he can focus on himself… on his own pleasure and he doesn’t need to focus for too long, because with two moves he is coming too, he’s knotting against Castiel’s prostate and coming hard. It’s the start of his moment and he knows Castiel is gonna take care of him. Rocking, caressing him and whispering words of love with every wave of ecstasy that comes every time he comes again. For the next half an hour all Dean can think of is ‘ _I’m dreaming of heaven and I don’t wanna wake up -ever_ ’ as he hugs Cas tight and comes again with a cry and another load.

**

Sometime before, Ruby had arrived and Sally informed her that Castiel and Dean were in their room. All her mind reading skills alert, she knows it’s gonna take a while for them to come downstairs so she starts searching for Sam all around the house, she knows he had arrived ten minutes before, so she looks for him with an idea fixed in her mind since lunch time.

She finally finds him at the office doing computer stuff, checking online x-rays to save time for tomorrow clinic hours.

She approaches him, kisses hello and with a smile and a very calculated move she takes off her silk scarf extending it in front of a very confused Sam, “Bed…  _now_ ” she orders throwing the scarf at him. She turns looking over her shoulder with a smirk and unbuttoning her blouse she walks away.

Sam can’t move for a couple of minutes, paralyzed and open mouth due to shock. He looks at his hand and Ruby’s scarf takes him out of the stupor. He closes the laptop without even shutting it down; work is still going to be there later. He runs upstairs and stops at their bedroom door, he’s about to enter but is blinded by the view. Drooling seems to be on the menu today, Sam seems unable to keep his mouth closed.

Ruby is in the middle of the room, she’s wearing a red negligee, black garter belt and stocking, and soft red panties, small red bows here and there and the highest black hill pumps ever. He knows she must have been wearing most of the outfit all day, because there is no way she could have changed into such a chocking view in a few minutes.

“You, little witch- you planned this, didn’t you? You bad bad girl. I think I don’t have any option but to discipline you” Sam growls in a low voice, almost a whisper; already losing his mind.

“Why, Sir. I was thinking about you this morning when I put my clothes on. You had already left and I missed you so much” Ruby roars, sitting on the edge of the bed and spreading her legs just a tiny bit, “I wouldn’t dream to upset you, Sir.” Pouting her lips, “Please, don’t punish me” she teases biting her forefinger.

“I’m in charge of the discipline department and I decide whether bad girls should be punished or not” Sam, already in character says, still lined at the door jamb.

Oh, how he loves this game.

Ruby sucks her finger swirling the tongue around and Sam stops thinking for a moment, “Oh, bad, bad naughty girl, you so deserve what I’m gonna do to you”, he approaches the bed, silk scarf in hand and leaning on his wife he whispers on her ear, “Up, girl, sit in the middle of the bed, hands on front, entangle

 your fingers and keep your wrist together”

She looks at him with her dark eyes even darker, she’s so turned on she feels her thong wet and realizes Sam is not even breathing. So she complies and he ties the silk around her wrists, tight enough to make her unable to use her hands but not enough to hurt her, “Now, baby, lay down, arms up”, and he ties the scarf to the bed frame with a knot that can be released by her.

Sam watches her, almost out of character, and considers if he should be blinding her… or he could let her watch. But he soon decides he likes her eyes too much to cover them… this time.

He strokes his fingers across the silk stocking, toying with the garter and touching the bows. Sam raises the negligee to expose Ruby’s belly-button, caressing the skin on its way. Sam is still fully dressed so he removes shoes and socks without a word; she wants to play and he is gonna play his part properly. He paces as if he didn’t know what to do with the wrapped gift waiting on the bed, “What to do now? Options… so many options… should I leave you like that and walk away for a while? Nah, too much punishment… Or maybe should I fuck your brains out? Well… that sounds more like a reward rather than punishment… And, damn, you look so beautiful, so perfect over there, all tied up and mine” voice hoarse of desire.

Sam walks to the edge of the bed and ducks one leg on each side of her without touching, he leans on her and sends shivers to her spine by gently blowing to her navel, he looks up at her and smiles… this is gonna be definitely fun. Sam teases again, he blows a little harder this time. Ruby raises her hips in response, trying to reach his groin with her pelvis, desperate of some contact; so with his eyes locked on hers, he goes up and starts playing with her nipples, blowing and running his teeth over them, making them hard and making her breath fasten. His hands running by her side, barely touching, his breath on her skin is making her dizzy but she will hold still, she’s enjoying this too much to break the enchantment.

Sam stands up still kneeled on top of Ruby, he watches her chest going up and down,  her pupils taking up the whole of her eyes, her lips moisturized both by lipstick and saliva. His gaze running throughout her body stopping at the outfit and Ohhh, the garter and the stocking match perfectly with the shoes. It’s not that he has any kind of shoe fetish but THESE ones, man, he loves these heels. He gently takes one leg up by the ankle, kissing her calf up and down and repeating it on the other leg, making Ruby moan. He puts the legs down, aligned with the bed; she closes her eyes to take a deep breath drinking his perfume when puts a pillow underneath Ruby’s head, “Open up your eyes, babe, I want you to watch me punish you” and takes a moment to admire his work. Leans back on her and whispers in her ear, “You be a good girl and I’ll probably untie you”, she shivers making him smile, kissing her, lips parted, exploring her mouth for a few seconds. The kisses move to her temple and then to her earlobe, teasing it, biting softly and licking it afterwards. Words are off the table in this game so all she can do is moan and make tiny little noises, so Sam whispers on her ear, “I wanna hear you begging me. I won’t fuck you until you ask for it. You beg your Sir to fuck your brains out, lady” marking his words with small bites all across her neck, biting harder and sucking underneath her collarbone. She grumbles, she knows she won’t be able to use a cleavage for a few days but she couldn’t care less. Sam keeps on teasing her with kisses all over her body, from nipples to navel over to the lace of her negligee. Her response is fast, her breath, her moves, the noises she makes. But when Sam looks up to her again, her eyes are closed.

“Oh… girl, I told you I want you to watch. Open your pretty eyes for me”

She opens her eyes and almost forgets the game but she forces herself to put on the right show for her husband so she allegedly shy says, “I’m sorry, Sir. It won’t happen again”

Sam rolls her a little on the side and softly spanks her, “You better don’t play with me, girl” his voice commanding.

“Ooh, Yes, Sir. I’m sorry, Sir” Ruby cries more out of desire than of pain; that’s what the game is about, after all.

Sam fondles the pink mark he left on her right ass cheek and Ruby hisses at the sensation, he looks at her and she bites her lower lip and closes her eyes again, “You’re asking for it, girl” and he spanks her again. As he watches her face lighten up he sees a smirk beginning to shape but it’s rapidly killed by the look Sam gives her.

His dick is trapped by the fabric, twitching and begging for release but he won’t touch himself, just not yet.

He stands up and turns her face up on the mattress underneath him, placing himself knees down between her spread legs, “Stay like this, girl”, Sam asks but his voice sounds more like an order and she loves it. Now Sam is biting the garter, pulling it swiping through the flesh around, at the same time he grabs the tiny panty with both index and stretches the fabric, slowly taking it out, breathing into her skin as the fabric leaves her. He leaves the thong unattended half way out, and strokes the silk on her legs. He lifts his eyes and sees Ruby’s eyes open but her lips are closed, savoring every touch of his hands and of his lips. Sam continues to play with the hem of the garter and the negligee. He exposes a breast, looks at Ruby, expectant and takes a deep breath and seems to be unhappy of having her hands tied, she’s almost desperate now. He moves to release the other breast and she loses it when he moves away from them. Now, Ruby is panting and wailing, but all in silence. Sam licks his way down to her clit, pressing a little above it and that’s too much, Ruby arches her back and forgets the rules, “Please, Sam… I mean, Sir, Please!” making Sam press his nose a little harder and rolling the thong to expose the clit he licks it superficially, teasing her a little further.

“What? Sorry, I can’t hear you” He says, making her shiver and moan, fuck it all, “Please, Sir. Please fuck me! Fuck me hard and full, knot me right now! Stop teasing, I can’t take it anymore, Sammy! Please!”

Sam takes the clit sucking and licking and biting a bit harder every time. The hell with the character and the game, he needs this as badly as her. He rolls all the way down her thong and fingers her entrance teasing just a little bit more. He moves the finger in and out while licking the clit, adds another finger and swirls within his mate and now she is the one who gives a fuck for the game.

“So, Sir, are you gonna fuck me with your clothes on?” Ruby’s voice and tone is back.

“Is that what you want?” he says from in between her legs.

“Oh, no, Sir. I wanna see your perfect body” and sounds more commanding than she had intended.

Sam strips and she was right, his abs look photo shopped, his hip bone is just porn. That’s it. To hell with the game, she wants to eat him up wholly.

“C’mon, baby, untie me already” She wants it all right now. When she planned this game she never thought Sam would be into it for so long, he usually breaks the character within minutes.

“Well, someone’s not paying attention… you can untie yourself from the bed frame, but you know… I think I prefer your hands remain tied to each other for a while.” And he watches while Ruby pulls from the edge of the scarf untying it from the bed. She may not be able to fully touch him but at least she can rest her arms.

Her legs lift up and Sam takes advantage and positions himself in between the legs again, he puts himself to work; no teasing this time. He bites, licks and fingers in making her cry, moan and beg for more. “Come on, big boy, fuck me now. I am ready!” and she manages to grab him by the hair, hands still tied, to pull him to her face, “Will you stop with the foreplay and fucking fuck me already? And you better untie me, Sir, because I want to touch you”

“Gee, I don’t know… you see, I’m enjoying  _tied-up-Bossy-Ruby_  too much” gaining a double tied fist punch on his forearm.

“Untie me, Winchester… NOW…” She shouts, but adds a little, “Please?” at the end of the request. Laughing perhaps a little too much, he unties her and she curls her fingers in Sam’s hair. “God, I love your hair… now fuck me already, dammit.” She whispers just a few millimeters from his lips.

He kisses her deeply, eating her up, just to break the kiss a few seconds later, “Uhmmm, I don’t know… I haven’t heard a lot of begging… maybe I should get up and leave the room… yeah… I think I’ll do that” and he takes one foot out of the bed but Ruby is as fast as horny so she wraps her legs around his waist.

“Get up and you’re dead. Come on, Sammy… fuck my brains out” she is the only person that can call him without annoying him. Actually, it turns him on a little bit.

Sammy complies then, thrusting inside her without warning, making her cry out his name, moving slowly, like a tease; the pace is a torture for both of them, but a sweet torture anyway.

They kiss, and Sam touches, and Ruby gets her hands around his neck, doing her best to touch as much as she can. “Move already, Winchester!” fuck the game, the characters and the decorum; Bossy Ruby is back in town, bitches.

Sam loves it when she’s bossy in bed, she can turn from a shy little girl who begs for it to a lioness that takes without asking… and, dammit, she can ask too much some times. “Make me, girl”, and she freezes for a second, eyes fixed on him and then starts moving her hips frantic as fast as she can. But she is pinned to the bed under Sasquatch and cannot move as much as she’d like, as she needs.

“Not fair, Sam. Help your girl out, man. Don’t make me slap your ass” she pouts and he laughs.

“Well… since you ask so nicely…” but instead of fasten the pace he slows it even more, barely moving at all.

She licks his nipples, biting a bit and, without warning she slaps his ass hard and now Sam freezes, his mouth turns into a smirk. She slaps him again and he starts to fasten the motion. One more slap and Sam rides her like there’s no tomorrow. They can hardly breathe now but they won’t stop because they can feel their orgasms building, right there on the edge. The teasing and the game had been so strong that a few strokes she feels the heat in her lower stomach burn, “Fuck, Sammy, I’m so close… please don’t stop!” and now she feels the knot getting wider inside her and she loves it, he is also close and just seconds apart they both come loud and strong.

None of them can move now. Sam because of the effort and Ruby, well… Ruby can’t because…

“Oh, great! Now I have a moose on top of me for half an hour… could we roll a little or switch so I can be on top? I’m not sure I can stay like this until the knot recedes, hun”

It takes all his concentration to make a move and not dying in the process. By the time he manages to turn their positions to spoon Ruby, his knot lets out a new load of cum with its subsequent orgasm, and Sam groans both for the effort and the falling sensation. “Oh, God… I don’t think I can handle any more movements, baby, please tell me you’re comfortable”

“Oh, yes, Sammy, I am. I thank you but let me tell you something, Mister MetaAlpha, if the mark you made on my collar is too big… you’re a dead man” she teases, loving the mark and knowing that for a couple of days she’ll look at it and remember their little game. He’s too busy with the free fall of his knot milking him away to know whether she is teasing or not. “We’ll get  back to that when we’re not in the middle of the orgasm marathon” and it’s her time to moan when the involuntary movement Sam makes in the pick of a new orgasm hits her G-spot, making her come all over again.

She knows they’ve taken a long to play this, and that she’s got work to do on Castiel’s case; but she also knows, because she senses it, that Cas is in her same predicament so she takes it easy and smiles at the thought of all the happiness that finally seems to be filling the Winchester residence.

**

“Love, I need to get up”, Castiel says over the shoulder when he notices the knot receding inside him, “Ruby is probably already home and waiting for me. We’ve taken a lot of time for ourselves” but he only gets a mumble from an almost asleep Dean. “C’mon, Dean. I really need to get up. Any other day being your pillow is the cherry on top of the cake, but today I have a meeting with Ruby and I really need to take a shower” he tries to move Dean to the other side of the bed, away from him.

“Ok… Ok… I’ll get up” Dean sits on the edge of the bed with the eyes almost closed.

“No, Love, you can stay in bed and dream of me. Rest and I’ll cook something for you after I talk to Ruby. Deal?”

“No way. I wanna be there, we’re together now, Cas,  _You and Me_. I need to know what’s going on with our case. Lemme get in the shower with you, I’ll wash you”, Castiel groans at the image, “No, no, no. No sex intended, Babe. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to, but I am gonna need a couple of hours to get the strength back”, So they get into the shower and clean each other.

As they are toweling, Dean realizes they’re gonna need a fresh set of bed sheets, so he puts a towel around his hips and goes to the cabinet in the hallway to get bed clothing. He is closing the cabinet and, behind the door, he finds a very embarrassed Jo. She’s frozen on spot; his nakedness brings back the conversation they’d held earlier.

“Sis, you almost gave me a heart attack, what y’doing hiding behind open doors?” she looks hurt beyond reason. “Look, Jo. I am sorry for earlier, okay, I really am. I love you, and that’s never gonna change, but it’s your decision to be with us or on your own. The man waiting for me there in my room, that’s the one person that makes me happy every second of my day. He’s in my life to stay. I know you two started with the wrong foot but you should get to know him, Jo, he’s amazing.” And damn, his face shines with love for Cas, “I wish you could see that” and he enters the room leaving Jo looking at the floor, sad and feeling lonely in a house full of love.

**

“Sammy? Sammy, please!” her moose of a fiancée won’t move his arms from around Ruby and she can’t get up, “Baby, please, you know I love you but as much as you turn me on with what you’re doing to me I really  _really_  need to get ready for the meeting with Castiel.” She laughs a little, though, realizing finally how to kill his sexual mood, “It’s our house and I wanna be ready for the meeting. Well, I know Dean and Cas are probably in the same position we are now, but still…” and she doesn’t need to finish the sentence, Sammy’s hands stop the work over her breasts and his arms loosen her, giving her space to escape the bear hug she was in.

“Oh. My. Chuck! OMG, woman!! Why giving me that mental image? Oh, God!!! Where’s the bleach? I need to clean my brain!” and his mortified face is too hilarious for Ruby not to laugh at.

“Oh, Sam, your face right now… ha! It was worth every word. I love you, baby. Let’s take a shower, let me wash those images with new ones” His lips curling up in a coy smile, “And NO, we can’t have sex again. Gotta talk to Castiel, told ya already, you sex monster”

They shower each other, taking time on each other’s hair. As they are toweling Ruby asks him, “Wanna be in the meeting? I’m sure Dean is going to be there. You can play dumb about all the sex thing and just talk about the trial. I really would like to say it all just once” and Sam getting dressed is all the answer she needs.

They all meet in the foyer as if guided by an internal GPS. “Kitchen?” says Ruby, “I could definitely use a coffee and a bite. All this activity makes me hungry” she’s a teaser, she knows it, and she loves it. The men also know it but that doesn’t stop them from turning into three red spots, Ruby sees their red faces and laughs hard, “Oh, c’mon guys! It’s just  _sex_!... Oh for Chuck’s sake, ok… I’ll shut up” Dean and Cas focus on the ceiling and Sam gives her his best bitch face, “What?! I said  _YOU_  play dumb… not  _ME_! You know me better, baby. Alright, you  _prudes_ , let’s get something to eat to delete those horror expressions out of you three…  _freaking teenagers_ ”

Castiel smiles at her fondly and Dean looks at him questioningly, but Cas shrugs; how could he not like her when she’s such an impossibly bright person, both in intellect and in personality, that he can’t help but love her. “Well, we all could use some food, that’s for sure… I would love cookies and you probably like that too, Ruby” she nods smiling back at him, “Dean, of course, wants pie… no need to ask him, you know. And I don’t know Sam that much but I think he may enjoy a tomato cheese sandwich… how about that?” they all seem to agree and Sam is amazed at how much Castiel has learnt from them in such a short time. And hell if now he is not dying for a capresse grilled sandwich now.

“Wanna do the honors, Cas?” making room for the chef to join her by the stove, preparing coffee and snacks.

The Winchester brothers sit side by side on the island, lost in the sight of their respective mates, and Dean decides to tell Ruby about Jo and ask her to talk to his sister, woman to woman, to make the blonde girl finally get it.

“You see… she’s truly mad, now. She entered my room without knocking and found us… well… you know…”

Sam puts his forehead down to the table, and by the sounds he’s making you couldn’t tell if he’s crying or laughing, but Dean’s money is on the latter.

“Oh, man, this is so good. Please don’t tell me she found you naked or… or worse” Cas suddenly finds the drops of coffee pouring on the machine impossibly interesting and stares at water with a redden face and a contrite look. Ruby slaps his back and laughs even harder, “Oh, man that would be a scene to remember!”

Now Sam is mortified too… “Woman, seriously, if you ever want to have sex ever again, please stops it! Between the well fuck pheromones I can smell- not all mine, thank you very much- and the images that you keep on trying to put in my head… I don’t think I am gonna be able to function ever again in my life. You may wanna consider how this might affect you, too.”

“Oh God, ok, Sammy, I’ll behave… just a little”

“If you, children, have finished laughing and pouting, I may continue… No, we were not naked or doing anything else but kissing. Nothing too bad, but you know her… and I can’t handle her now. I can’t tell Ellen because she’s gonna eat my head off. Could you please talk to Jo? She won’t listen to me since, as she put it, she       hates us both.”

“Now Ruby, tell us what happened with the Meta case” Castiel changes the topic while pouring coffee and the boys put the food on the table for the four of them to gather around.

“Oh my Chuck, these cookies are amazing, Cas! Well, let me see… the case, yes…here we go” takes a sip of coffee “Today I received a letter from the courtroom. They’ve rejected the confidentiality clause. That means, Cas, your brothers could go to any paper, TV show or radio to talk about it. My uncle Chuck and I have been brainstorming most of the morning and we came to conclusion that if you keep the restaurant closed for the clientele it would be a sign of guiltiness but if you keep it open it will attract all kind of freaks. So we thought that the best option here is to open for take outs and delivery during lunch time and open for dinner only by reservation”, she lets the idea sink into Cas while she takes a bite of a cookie, “The point is that we may not be able to stop the media if they want to make a fuzz out of this, but we can keep the damages to the minimum so you can still make some profit”

“It’s not gonna take long for the case to be taken to the media, Ruby; if there is something that Lucifer loves besides himself is his image on the news… and, unfortunately, the camera loves him back” Cas shrugs drinking some coffee,  “he knows he’s handsome and his smile is always wide and charming , he’s got people living under his spell, you know… not me, I never have, but I know a few who’ve never been able to break the spell”

“Yes, I know what you mean, Cas” Ruby gets the carafe full of a new load of fresh poured coffee and offers them a refill, “This morning my Uncle and I were going through some tapes from old cases and he’s good. But my Uncle Chuck is better, he’s got that  _puppy-I-want-to-rescue_  look so he’s gonna be a good rival for Lucifer’s spell”

“So… your Uncle, uh?” Cas murmurs against his mug.

“Yes,  _my_  Uncle. He’s gonna be involved in your case. Not just because I asked him to, but also because he probably wants to beat Luci again. At court and on the media”

“Call him Luci to his face and you probably can have him kick out the court in contempt. He hates that nickname” Cas laughs.

“Done that already, dear” Ruby smirks and they toast to that.

After that, they stay in the kitchen for a while, laughing and sharing stories, just getting to know each other. The in-laws because, well, they´re new to the family, and the brothers because they haven’t lived together for years.

They all are aware the previous conversation was just the beginning of something probably bad and distressing, but they can get through it together. Because the Winchester brothers are no longer alone, they have mated and their mates are awesome. More to it, they’re already family, and it feels natural.


	20. Who do you love?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta chapter. Patinesa's still on vacations!!

_Cuz there are just so many things I need to say_

_Cause when the lights are down and love is in the air  
_

_And I need to know_

_Who do you love?_

 

Dean’s lying in bed next to Cas with his arm around his mate’s waist and his hand holding his chest as if afraid he would disappear in the middle of the night. Ever since their relationship became physical, spending their nights together is the only way of getting some rest.

He’s dreaming of the beach and the waves breaking on the rocks when a buzzing sound takes him back to the bedroom; he can barely open his eyes but still he takes his phone from the nightstand, checks the name on the screen and hurriedly slips out of bed very carefully so not to wake up Cas, he enters the bathroom to answer the phone very quietly.

“Hi, Dean, it’s Ben”, the kid says way too cheerfully for such an early hour.

“Hey, kiddo. Saturday 6AM and you’re already up? Are you OK? Is your mom OK?” Dean worries.

“Oh, sorry, Dad. I forgot about the time difference. Yeah, we’re fine”, but Dean hears a little hesitation in Ben’s voice.

“Well, that’s good. Never mind the hour, son, I’m always happy to talk with you. So, what’s new? I don’t think you just woke up and felt like calling, right?”

Dean can hear the kid struggling on how to say what he wants to say, “It’s mom. She’s dating this guy, Dad” and now that he’s said it, the rest comes easy and in a rush, “Tonight is their tenth date or something like that and I think he’s going to ask her. I don’t want that, Dad; I want you! I want  _you_  to marry mom! Please come back, I miss you!” and, damn, Dean can hear him sobbing and wishes things could be different.

“Ben… hey, Ben, listen. I know you miss me, and I know it hurts because I miss you too and it’s awful to know you’re so far from me. I really wish I could tell you that it’s gonna be alright and that I’ll date your mom again… but I can’t, son.” He’s gotta be careful on how he approaches the issue, he wants Ben to understand this, “We’ve talked about this already, you are the most important person in both your mom´s life and in mine, but Lisa and I can’t live together because, no matter how much we care for each other, there’s no love between us anymore.”

“I know, Dad, but…”

“Ben, look. You’re a big boy and you remember the last few months I lived with you. It was not good, kid. We took separate ways and now we’re better; we’ve both moved on and that’s alright. Your mom told me about this guy already and he seems to be a good man, he makes her happy. Do it for her, son, get to know him; you don’t even have to call him dad” A pinch of jealousy gets to Dean for a split second, someone else is gonna watch his son grow up; shit, he can’t cry while on the phone with the kid.  _Man up, dammit!_

 _“_ You’re gonna forget about me, Dean… I know you will, because mom…”

“Ben… Ben, son, listen, please. I promise… I swear to God that you will always be my son no matter what your last name is or who your mom marries” Dean really hopes the guy is a good man because otherwise, heaven help him, he’s gonna make him suffer,  _“_ How about this… you can call me every day, tell your mom that from now on I am gonna pay for your cellphone bill. And we also have the e-mails… I know I’m terrible at computers and answering e-mails, but I promise, I read every one of them and I show your pictures to everybody. Uncle Sammy’s fiancée loves you even without having met you, and Auntie Jo has promised to teach me how to Skype” Ben laughs a little and Dean’s heart  stops hurting so much, “Your school stories are the best. Now, Saturday morning and you’re talking on the phone with your old man instead of getting ready for soccer practice? Go, kiddo, go and score. And you better send me more pictures. I already know by heart the last ones you sent, I need new ones to show off.”

“But, Dad, I can’t even…” the kid protests.

“OK, stop it, Ben. Mom’s happy with Chad and she deserves to be. So, you go and get ready. I love you and nothing’s ever gonna change that”

“OK, Dad. I love you, too. I’ll send the pictures later, bye”

“I love you, have fun” Dean finally says while going out of the bathroom and smiling at the phone; he’s returning to the bed when he meets a pair of sleepy sapphire eyes intensely observing him.

“Who do you love?” that’s the line that tells Dean this is the moment to tell Cas the most important thing about his past.

“That, Babe, was Ben” well, the look in Cas face tells Dean that the sentence was anything but reassuring. “11 years old Ben” Cas sits on bed suddenly fully awake, Dean sighs.  _Here we go_ … “Wait, don’t try to make it up by yourself… just listen, ok?” He clears his throat and starts talking but he can’t force himself to look at Cas in the eyes, not because he’s ashamed of his love for Ben, but because he should have told Cas about his son a long time ago, “He’s Lisa’s kid, I used to date her back in high school and then we met again a few years ago and lived together for a while. The kid and I got really attached to each other; he even calls me Dad sometimes. Anyway, things between her and me didn’t work out very well; it never felt right, you know.” Dean’s eyes always fixed on a blank spot on the wall above Cas. “The thing is that, even when Lisa and I will never be together again, Ben will always be my son”

“Come back here, Dean” Cas pats the bed and waits for Dean to return to his side and he does but he’s still looking anywhere but his mate. Cas, sitting now in the middle of the bed, raises Dean’s chin, gets closer and, leaning his forehead against his mate’s, tells him, “Dean, we both have a past. We’re discovering each other as we go. It’s ok that we did things in the old days, when we haven’t even met.” Cas smiles sweetly and Dean visibly relaxes, “I needed you and you needed me even before we really knew we were mates. And there is nothing… and I mean  _NOTHING_  you may have done in your past that’d made me love you any less” and now Cas is who stiffens and opens his eyes wide… he’s just used the  _L word_ … and in the middle of an awkward moment like this, he wanted to finally say it in a romantic situation; so, clueless of what to say he just kisses Dean, because that‘s always the right thing to do.

But Dean may be many things, but he’s not deaf; he breaks the kiss and looking into Cas eyes asks, “Did you just said it because it’s something people say or did you really mean it?”

Cas cups Dean’s face and tenderly says, “I meant every word I said, Dean, I love you” his heart pounding hard thinking that maybe it is too much for Dean, that maybe it is too soon.

But then Dean kisses him, long and meaningful, like pouring every feeling in the kiss, but this is no time for showing… he takes Cas’ hands, squeezing and fondling them, and, for once, he’ll say it… “Babe, I’m not good with words but… I’m in love with you from the day we met. I love the way you look at me, your smile; the way my heart skips a beat every time your eyes meet mine. I love every one of your thoughts. I love every inch of you, and I know I’m going to love every single story of your life, sad or happy because everything I’ve just mentioned, all of it together, it’s  _you_. I love you, Cas… May I show you how much?” Castiel smiles so widely that Dean’s heart bursts of joy.

They smile at each other, the feelings too strong to put in more words; and maybe there’s no need for more words, maybe what they need is Dean kissing Castiel again and hugging him close, hands all over Cas’ back… maybe all they need is them melting into each other… they’ve said it; now they’re gonna show it…

They will leave the bed a few hours later.

**

 It’s a sunny Saturday morning, Ruby’s favorite part of the favorite day of the week. Sam is still asleep; Ruby stops by the door frame and, smiling, looks at him. She loves him so much that, sometimes, she thinks her heart will come out of her chest and explode. He’s so gorgeous, so perfect… People may say whatever they want, Meta haters can say the stupidest things ever, but she knows the truth; Sam is a great guy and he’s  _hers_. He makes her days shine brighter.

She enters the bathroom and mechanically takes the round set of pills and, for a second, she freezes… Today  _is_  Saturday… isn’t it? How is it possible that the next available pill is in the Wednesday’s spot? No… she can’t… she hasn’t …  _NO FREAKING WAY_. She’s been taking the pill for years now, and not even once she has forgotten, well, that’s not really true anymore. That’s not good; in fact it’s really, really bad; as bad as it can be.

She lets herself fall on the floor and tries really hard not to lose it.  _Not now, please, not now_ ; she thinks.  _Not with the wedding so close_ , she repeats almost in a plea. But she knows better. Sam’s a fucking MetaAlpha programmed to get her pregnant and this is all her fault; what the hell was she thinking. She knew the risks and  _still_  she forgot to take the pill three days in a row. Ruby sobs and tries not to cry.

Fifteen minutes later she’s in the shower and still can’t stop crying. Her mind flies over a thousand combinations of words to tell Sam how she’s screwed up, what a stupid little Beta she is, such an idiot that, even knowing the MetaLaw, she forgot the pill and managed to get pregnant right before the wedding.  What if Sam gets mad at her? What if he cancels the wedding plans? No, Sam wouldn’t. But still. They need to set the wedding date today, but she is not ready to tell Sammy why. Before risking telling him she’s got to be sure. She’s got a week before making the tests and getting the results, but she’s just postponing the inevitable. But what she  _can’t_  postpone anymore is leaving the shower, so she puts herself together, towels herself and leaves the bathroom. She finds a fully awaken Sam, smiling at her and trying to make her get back to bed.

 _What the hell… the damage is done, anyway_. Ruby thinks while taking off the towel around from around her and climbing into the bed next to her giant.

**

Cas has slept in Dean’s bed for the past three days, three gloriously amazing days. On Tuesday he got to his apartment after his shift at the Angel’s Pit and grabbed some clothes and haven’t been there since then. However now he knows he’ll have to return at a point because his existence of clean clothes is running low, he doesn’t feel like doing the laundry at Ruby’s, it feels odd, but still the certainty of belonging here with Dean is stronger than his need to be at his own place.

Cas stands in the corner of the kitchen, he’s not allowed to cook in the mornings, his family likes to make breakfast on their own and Cas enjoys watching the three of them interact in his own area of comfort. Sam is making some kind of healthy breakfast, Dean is making eggs and bacon and Ruby is preparing tea. Wait.  _Tea_? That’s weird. Castiel needs coffee to wake up or risk to be cranky for the rest of the day, so he starts the machine and greets, “Morning, everyone”. The three zombie cooks mumble a response. Everyone’s too sleepy.

“Breakfast’s ready”, Dean calls a few moments later, filling three plates and Cas is amazed at how happy a simple family breakfast makes him.

Once at the table and with a coffee in the hand Cas says, “Last night at closing I had a chat with Char, Ruby, the restaurant is too slow for us to change things on Saturdays, it’s the busiest day of the week and we need the money. We decided that tonight we’ll open a usual so we can pay the salaries.” There is silence for a couple of minutes in the kitchen, Ruby trying to think of all the variables before speaking.

Then she goes, “Look, Cas, I told you we can charge the expenses to the trial, which could help the financial situation, right? We could handle that.” Ruby tentatively says.

“Or  _WE_  could help you. Cas, how many times do I have to tell you? You’re Dean’s boyfriend now so you are family. You should accept our aid”

“Guys, really, thank you. You are the best. But as long as I can handle the Angel’s Pit myself, I’ll do it” Castiel kindly replies.

Dean smiles into his coffee mug, looking at Cas. That’s when Jo enters the kitchen and Cas is the first one to greet her, “Morning, Jo!” but she contemptuously looks at him. Sam and Dean share a disapproving look but she doesn’t even pretend to care.

“Morning, Jo.” Says Ruby before attacking her eggs, she’s so hungry.

“Morning” Jo half replies while serving some Captain Crunch in a bowl and adding milk to it, “Is coffee ready?”

“Castiel made espresso today and I’m drinking tea” Ruby says lifting her mug.

“I can make you an espresso if you’d like, Jo” Cas offers, deciding to continue trying to make amends with his future sister-in-law.

“I’ll do it myself, thank you very much, sir” Jo growls. Sam gives her his copyrighted bitch face and Dean is about to speak when Cas puts a hand on his shoulder to cut him cold. He’s gonna be the one fixing this, he’s got patience… he’s got plenty of experience on handling troublesome siblings.

“Fair enough, Jo.” He takes a sip of coffee and as if he suddenly remembered something important, he says, “Oh, remember you work night shift today, so you’ll have to be at the restaurant at 3pm to make the place biz like” she nods. Dean looks at Cas like saying,  _why do you put up with this shit_ , and Cas only shrugs because he knows she will eventually get used to him being permanently by Dean’s side, until then he’ll be as polite as he can. She will come around; it’s just a matter of time. His mate is not quite sure about it, and in the silent conversation he’s having with Sam they both agree she’s behaving like a brat, but none of them know how to handle the problem, Jo has always been this stubborn.

Instead of sitting at the table, Jo decides to have his coffee and cereal at the counter without even having a seat, so she doesn’t have to face Cas or her brothers’ angry look. Ruby can hardly breathe with all this stress in the early morning, but she knows she’ll capitalize this mess into something else.

“You know what, Sammy? I was thinking that it’s been more than two weeks since our engagement and we haven’t talked about the wedding at all… we haven’t even set a date! I really want to get married soon. It’s just, you know, I don’t need a big wedding… hell, I don’t even  _want_  a big wedding.” She distractedly says.

Castiel is a business man, so adding one plus one is not strange to him. He looks up at Ruby and he knows there’s something definitely not right with her. Not two days ago they met for coffee downtown and she told him she had always dreamt of a big MetaAlpha wedding since the day she met Sam; fanfare, parade and doves included. She notices Cas’ inquisitive look and clears her throat hopping Cas would get it; and of course he does, he’s not going to sell her out. But sure as hell he’s gonna talk to her later.

“I have a vision of a Spring wedding… end of June, maybe? Cannot be further into July because of the weather” she says with her eyes fixed on her plate, feeling four pair of eyes set on her.

Jo is the one who breaks the silence. “A  _month_  for a Meta wedding? Are you fucking crazy, Ruby?”

“In fact I have it all planned, so no, Jo, I am not crazy… see? All I need to do is talk to five people and it’s done, no worries no rush. First I need a date and a groom to agree with it.” Ruby smiles at Sam- who’s in such a shock that his spoon full of his fruit  _Parfait_  has been half way to his mouth for a few seconds now.

“Ruby, baby, I want to get married as soon as possible too;  but there are a lot of papers to fill in, and get the government permission,… and… and the physical check out is already done… and…” Sam nervously mumbles.

“Sammy, stop, wait… I know… ok? I know… the legal part it’s covered. The government has been informed we’re soul mates since the day we started living together, that makes it up for us since I’m just a Beta. And the rest, I can talk to Julio… do you remember Julio? He used to work for me and now he’s a big shot in the Meta department in LA so he can help us with everything… I will also take some time off at the office after we finish with Castiel’s case.”

Cas continues to look at Ruby, head tilted sideways, eyes slightly narrowed and a small smirk. She’s behaving weirder by the second. It finally hits him fully.  One plus one; Math is never wrong. Ruby drinks tea, uses sugar instead of artificial sweetener.  She eats the eggs but not bacon. She wants a small wedding held in a little more than a month. But no… she can’t be… only she sets a date out of the blue, makes wedding plans in a rush because, even when the law covers them, you have to have wedding plans in case they… No, he’ll have to talk to her right after breakfast.

“C’mon Sammy… what d’you say? Wanna spend the rest of your life with me or what?” she pushes… she’s too anxious to let him think for too long.

“OK, baby. Whenever you want is fine by me. I trust you, you’ll manage, I know; and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to be with you for all eternity” he leans over the table to plant a kiss in Ruby’s smiling lips. The other three people in the room break into awes and congratulate them.

So the date is set. Last Saturday of June at sundown. The ceremony will take place at their gardens and they’ll hold the reception in a tent or, if the weather is bad, inside the house.

Now that it’s decided, Ruby can eat again… she’s still hungry.

 

**

After breakfast Sam and Dean go to work, Ruby goes to get comfortable clothes to spend her Saturday at home; Jo’s gone back to her room so to avoid Cas until she goes out to have lunch with a new friend from work and then go to her night shift, and Cas is waiting for Ruby by the stairs to come down from her wing to have a little chat. And here she comes.

“Hey, Cas… what’ up?”  _Shit_ , she thinks.

“What did the  _OBGYN_  say?” No time to lose.

Ruby stares at him for a few seconds but, hell, it’s Cas and she trusts him so she won’t even try to deny it, “I haven’t seen him yet, I got fifteen more days to go, we need to have every wedding plan arranged and registered in the Meta office before… you know what would happen otherwise”

“So you’re sure about it? I mean, did you take a test?”

“No, it scares me to death. I forgot the pill three days in a row. I don’t have to tell you what happens when you forget the pills, especially if mated with a Meta. There’s no doubt, Cas, I’ll confirm it in a week or so, but I am quite positive. Shit, buddy, what the hell was I thinking… if at all” She’s so relieved Cas is there to support her, she was right about him from the beginning, he’s a great guy.

“Uhm, yeah, I know… Did you tell him already?”

“No, not yet. He’s got a lot in his head. There’s a new patient he’s concerned about, well, more than usual; and then the house, the trial, Dean, Jo, you, me… he worries about everyone and everything… I wouldn’t want him to snap on me because I am a stupid little Beta. Before saying anything about it I want to be sure. There are a lot of things I need to work out and arrange before I “ _find out_ ” and tell the world.”

“Yeah, well, count on me. I’ll keep the secret as long as you need. I wanna help you, anything you need… please just tell me”

Ruby’s heart grows in her chest with love for her mate’s future brother-in-law, “Cas, how can I thank you for being such a good friend?” She hugs him close. “As Dean would say ‘ _enough with the chick flick moment’_ , ha ha” but there are tears in her eyes, “Now, since we’re having a brotherly love moment, did you tell Dean? Oh, don’t give me that look, Cas, I know you were in heat at Sam’s birthday party and that was almost a month ago” she grabs his arm and takes him to the living room.

“I haven’t , how do I even start, Rubs? I hate heats and I don’t want to make  _him_  sad all its days” Cas looks really concerned and Ruby is confused

“Sad? What the hell are you talking about?” Gosh, what’s wrong with the men in this family.

“Well, you know how it works, the heats make me sad and needy and angry, all at the same time… I am just a mess; my body temperature raises a couple of degrees so I have to take lots of showers every day. I don’t want to drag him into that”

“Are you serious, Cas? That’s the reason you haven’t told him yet?” She gets closer and tells him, “All of that was because you hadn’t had your mate with you all these years! With Dean in your life it’s gonna be different! Trust me, I have an Omega sister, did I tell you? Well, yes, in fact we are three siblings; Pete is an Alpha, Beck an Omega and this beauty in front of you, a Beta. Both my sister and brother are mated and really happy, I can assure you. When you’re mated the heats are the best.” Ruby winks at him.

“Really? Fuck my brothers, all of them Alphas never thought of teaching me anything and forget about the Catholic school, too… I don’t know… you’re sure it won’t bother him finding me whining and sweating for three days?”

“Well… let’s put it this way, he’s gonna be as sweaty and as hot as you. I can guarantee that, Cas; go on and tell him” Ruby pats his face tenderly but ends up laughing all the same just knowing all the images that are going through Castiel’s mind… he’s gonna have so much fun. But she is not ready to let him know her darkest secret, afraid of scaring him off just like it had happened before to some people in her life when she told them about her mind reading abilities, so instead she says, “Let’s watch a stupidly romantic movie. I’m in need to cry my eyes out and that would be a good cover up. Would you join me?”

“Pass me the remote; I know exactly which movie we need”

**

With “PS I love you” over and a river of tears later, Ruby and Castiel continue to bond in the kitchen. Ruby sends Sally to her mother’s for the week end, since she’s been worried about her lately, and they cook lunch themselves. The friendship between them feels normal, as if they’ve known each other for years.

Dean comes back from car shop where he had to go and fill in some more paperwork; he sits by the counter watching Cas interact with Ruby in the kitchen. He winks at Cas when he turns his head over his shoulder and finds Dean smiling to himself.

Sam arrives and greets from the door, “Hello, everybody! Anyone at home?” he yells.

“In the kitchen, Sammeh! Come on over and join us!  _They_  are cooking, dude,  _awesome_!” Dean yells back, loud and proud.

Ruby and Cas bonding is one of the best things Dean has witnessed in a long time. They not only get along, but also seem to be building a strong friendship; and that's great given they are all building their own families under the same roof, well… Winchester’s name is about family, by blood or extended, but family all the same. The same thought seems to be going through Sam’s mind as he approaches Ruby and steals a kiss and a stick of celery. “Hey Cas! Teaching my girl some new tricks on cooking?”

“Hey, assbutt, I am pretty good already with all the healthy crap you make me prepare for you” Says Ruby trying to sound offended but laughing. “Thank you for that word, Cas… I like it… assbutt… sounds good, ha ha ha”

“Glad to pass the knowledge, use it wisely, Ruby. And actually Sam,  _she_  is teaching  _me_  some new tips that can’t be learnt in Cuisine School. And I agree with Rubs here, you could use some more meat in your diet, you know”

“Oh, I like the way you think, Babe! More burgers for Sasquatch!” teases Dean, “And pies…don’t forget the pie!”

“Okay, this is stupid” Sam seats next to Dean, both brothers now looking at their mates and starting a very serious debate, well, kinda serious, “How in the world do you eat so much and stay fit? I mean, if up to you, the only things in your diet would be burgers and pie… and beer; you don’t work out or run, you do nothing but eat and work … and you’re still surprisingly not fat… how  the hell, man…?”

“What? Jealous, kid?” an evil grin in Dean’s eyes.

“Yeah… I’ve always wanted a stroke at 40, thank you, Jerk”

“Bitch” says Dean taking four beers out of the fridge, giving one to Cas, Ruby refusing hers and handling Sam the last, “We’re doing good, bro”

“We’re doing perfect” and lowering his voice, “But you’ve got a problem, you know” Dean looking at him in disbelief but suddenly, Sam’s words sink, “I’m not proposing a double wedding because it’ll be probably too soon. But, Dean, you can’t wait more than four months, dude. What are you waiting for?”

“Sammy, I know, ok… I know; it’s just that I haven’t told him yet” The thought of telling Cas about the due date frightens him, there’s no doubts of the sentiment for each other but what if he is not ready, mated or not, to settle and get pregnant within the next eight months?

What if Castiel runs away?

That would kill Dean. Still, Sam is right. He remains thinking of how to approach the subject to his mate, looking at him cook and laugh with Ruby, all tall and beautiful… and  _his_. Fears or not, the conversation will have to be held soon. “Yeah, Sammy… I know”

**

After lunch Ruby and Sam go downtown to do some shopping and Cas has a couple of hours before going to the Angel’s Pit so he leans on the counter on his elbows and watches Dean do the dishes.

“I could help if you’d let me, you know?”

“No, Sir. You cooked, I do the dishes. It’s only fair… you two did most of the washing of everything you’ve used for cooking so… there’s not much to wash, anyway” and five minutes later he’s finished and while drying his hands he turns to Cas and says, “What you say, wanna go for a ride? I was thinking maybe the beach?” he says putting his arm around Cas’ shoulders.

“The beach sounds amazing, Love” says Cas with a wide smile, taking Dean’s hand and heading to the Impala.

Dean drives Baby through town. Castiel thinks he doesn’t need anything else but his Mate and just listening to the music Dean loves, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Lynrd Skynyrd and several other groups from the ‘80s. If anyone would have told him just a few weeks ago he’d be enjoying this kind of music he’d had laughed. But here he is, riding shotgun next to the man that makes him happy just sharing the silence and the company. They don’t feel like saying anything; Cas’ hand on Dean’s thigh or the occasional squeeze of Dean’s hand on his, is all they need.  

Eventually, they get to the beach and perform their little ritual before entering the sand, taking their shoes off and holding hands. They get to their usual spot by the rocks without even discussing where to go, that place is theirs. As usual Dean sits with his back to the rocks and Cas places himself against Dean’s chest in between his bow legs and that’s so comfortable he could stay like that forever.

They do some small talk. Dean’s new job, which is gonna start on Monday; Cas is very proud of the position Dean got. Then they move the talking to the restaurant which leads to Charlie.

“I don’t know what to do with her, Dean. Every day it’s something different, she’s always saying she’s gonna behave but then you show up and she looks at you as if you were the enemy and after you leave she starts making unpleasant remarks on us.”

“She wants me to stay away from the Angel’s Pit? Should I stop visiting you at work?” He doesn’t want to, though, he likes seeing Cas at his place, he enjoys watching him move around in full control of everything… everything but Charlie.

“What?  _NO_! of course not, Dean!” He turns his head just enough to kiss Dean on the chin, “I’m just stating this because I  _feel_  this is the calm before the storm”

“I know what you mean, Babe. Same happens with Jo, you’ve seen her, only she’s more like a bull in a cage. She’s never been politically correct and I’m afraid she might lose it one day and do or say something she may regret”

“Who knows? What I actually don’t understand is why the two of us together make them so upset. Because, I mean, what they do and say is way beyond Char’s  _I-care-for-you_  and Jo’s _You-are-my-brother_. It’s like they’re acting like teenagers, and Char is a grown Alpha a couple of months older than me, for God’s sake”

“Yeah, I know. Still about Jo… what can I say, Cas? I know she was or is… I seriously can’t tell the difference at this moment, in love with me; but she has never reacted so badly to someone I’ve been with. I tell you, Babe, I really hope she pulls herself together or  _I’ll_ do or say something  _I’ll_  regret.”

“You’ll handle it the best way, Dean, I’m sure” Cas pushes himself closer to Dean’s chest, “You know what? I’m starting to think I don’t care anymore. If they don’t get it, it’s their loss. I love Charlie but if she can’t accept us then she can’t handle me as a friend”

“I guess we’ll have to go with the flow, here. No matter what they do, I will never part from you by my own choice” Dean kisses Cas’ temple and holds him tighter, “What about now we just enjoy our beach. I like this place… it’s ours, right?”

Cas turns to look at him in the eyes, and they kiss soft and tender, breathing each other’s air and then turn to the ocean and spend the rest of their time until it’s time for Cas’ shift at the restaurant  just watching the waves break and the tide rise; just happy to be in each other’s arms.

**

It’s Tuesday and Castiel knows he has to return home. Not much that he wants to but that he must. First he will go to the store and get groceries, stock up the fridge and get tons of water, then get more mood suppressors, take everything to his apartment, cool his place and get down to the restaurant and talk to Char about the next three days… except he doesn’t want to do any of it… all Cas wants is to be in Dean’s arms.

But he can barely handle his own heat, his temperature makes him uncomfortable, he feels depressed and like crying all the time. He won’t be a burden for Dean; he loves him and wouldn’t dream to drag him into his mess. He doesn’t want his pity, either.

He doesn’t want to give Dean too much information about it because he feels a bit embarrassed. So he slips out of bed knowing that Dean is still in the aftermath of the knotting, perfect opportunity to sneak out into the shower. He uses the facilities and turns on the shower warm… almost cold so he can think better. The water falls massaging his neck and he hears the door opening and Dean joins him in the shower, invading Cas’ space, “Morning sunshine” Dean kisses him under the spring of water and Cas almost forgets his plans for the day.

“Morning handsome” he kisses Dean back but doesn’t deepen the kiss, knowing he has a lot to do and has no time for another half an hour of being knotted to his mate, stepping out of the shower cabin and while toweling Cas distractedly says, “I have to go home today. I got to talk to Char about the shifts for this week. I also need to go to the market and to the drugstore. You know, an awful lot of running to do”

“No need to run, Babe. I’ll drop you by your house and I’ll pick you up at closing, how about that?” Dean offers.

“Well, Love, as much as I appreciate the offer I’m afraid I’m gonna be unavailable for the day. I’ll call you” Cas turns his back to Dean heading to the bedroom.

Dean grabs him by the arm, forcing Cas to face him, “You call me? No, man, c’mon… what the matter? Something must have happened… did I do something wrong? Cas, please, talk to me!” Dean worries.

Cas takes Dean face between his hands and looks straight into those green eyes that run his life now, “Dean, no. You could have never done anything wrong… you are nothing but good to me. It’s just that I have stuff to do. I need time…  _ME_  time, alright? I have to be alone for a few days. I promise; it’s gonna be just a few days. I’m sorry, Dean; just understand me… please”

“Understand you!? But, how?” Dean is almost hyperventilating now, “I won’t let you dump me for a few days without an explanation, Cas. I won’t stay calm…. Hell, Cas, I  _CAN’T_  stay calm. I won’t force you to stay, but you  _ **HAVE TO TELL ME WHY**_! The hell did I do, Babe?!” Cas is buttoning his shirt and looks at Dean but says nothing, “Cas **,** _ **FREAKING TALK TO ME, DAMMIT**_!” And Dean has to take a seat because he feels dizzy.

Cas kneels by his side, and lifts Dean’s chin to make him look at him but Dean shakes his head moving away from his touch. “ _ **DEAN, STOP IT**_!” he tries to calm down, he knows he’s not being fair raising his voice, “You did nothing wrong.  _Me_  leaving for a few days has nothing to do with  _you_ , Dean _ **. WHY HAS EVERYTHING TO BE ABOUT YOU**_?”

“Gee, I dunno, man.  _Maybe_  because you talk nonsense, you let me fuck you and five minutes later you dump me, saying you need ‘ _time to yourself’_  and...  _ **AND YOU GIVE ME NO FUCKING EXPLANATION**_!!!” Dean is now shouting again, more frighten than mad; “ _ **YOU MAKE NO FUCKING SENSE, CASTIEL**_!!”

The use of his full name makes Cas sad, he knows he’s being unfair; especially now that he sees Dean hurt and scared. He gets the reason why Dean can’t understand what’s going on, he wants to ease his fears but can’t form the words to explain. Cas takes his pants and, looking down at the floor, continues to dress. He says nothing.

Dean stands up wiht his eyes red and watery, full of fear. Gets on the way blocking Cas’ way out. He grabs him by the shoulders and Cas sees the green eyes he loves wide and full of fear.

“Babe, please” Dean manages to speak without shouting, “Please tell me what the problem is, Cas; we can work it out. Talk to me, please. Cas, Honey, please!” and he hugs Castiel because he doesn’t know what else to say or do.

Castiel is barely holding himself from crying. Dean is not mad. Mad he could handle. Mad is something he could fight back. But he senses fear all over his mate. The Alpha smells of fear and sadness, and is starting to shiver, still holding Cas tight, his whole body shaking; Cas cannot hold his tears anymore. He’s broken his mate’s heart and  _that_  he can’t handle.

“I’m sorry, Dean. I’m so sorry, Love; please forgive me” he says taking Dean’s face in his hands again and kissing him in his temple, and all over his eyes, as if trying to wipe every tear away with his lips.

“Please, Cas, don’t leave me… not without an explanation. Please, please, Babe” Dean’s plea, said with the eyes tightly shut, hits Cas straight into the heart.

“Dean… Dean, Dean look at me! I am not leaving you… at least not in the way you think, not like that…  _ **never**_  like that. I just need a few days just for me, that’s all. Please, my love, let me go”, Dean stares at Cas for a few seconds and a light of understanding glows in his eyes.

“I’ll be damned, is your heat… isn’t it? Are you leaving me because of your heat?” and the look he sees in Cas’ eyes gives him the reason, “I am so sorry your asshole brothers never told you that you don’t have to spend it alone, Cas. You don’t have to hide or be miserable. You don’t have to run away from me; I’m your mate, Cas, I’m here for you, you can talk to me about it. I am so sorry I was so stupid I didn’t see it before, I just panicked at the thought of losing you.” Dean sees Cas is numbed, “Cas, Babe, I won’t allow you keep me cut; I won’t spend three days away from you because you ‘need to hide from the world’, I won’t let you on your own and that’s not up for discussion. We could stay here or go to your place if you’re more comfortable. Either way it’s ok; I know Ruby and Sammy won’t say a word and Jo can go and fuck herself, for all I care” Dean winks and says to a very red faced and teary Castiel, “whatya say, Cas, want me to fuck your brains out for three days?”

“ _NO_ , no way, Dean” he tries to leave the comfort of Dean’s arms but his mate won’t let him, “I can’t… I can’t force you into this… my heat… my heat is horrible… I get needy and I cry all day long… I sweat like a pig and…”

But Dean won’t let him go on selling himself so short, so he does what he thinks it’s gonna work best, he kisses him with all his body, “Babe, I promise with all my heart this time is gonna be different. Ruby lent me several books and I’ve been reading a lot… heat with a mate is supposed to be awesome. Of course you’ll be needy and demanding, but that’s what I am here for… let’s sweat like pigs together… uh? I won’t take  _NO_  for an answer”

Castiel relaxes a bit wrapped in Dean’s arms, letting himself get carried by his mate’s touch and kisses. What if he’s right? He does want to be with Dean the rest of his life… it’s not gonna be very convenient to spend all his heats apart from him. “I guess we can give it a try this time, Love. It can’t be worse than my last twelve years” he says hugging Dean even tighter.

“Hell yeah, Cas… this is gonna be great, I promise. Now, let me get dressed, I’ll take you to the restaurant  so you can arrange everything for the next few days and I’ll pick you up at my shift end and we can go together to buy supplies, food and water… we must probably need to get bed clothing and towels… you know what? We are gonna also buy your favorite ice-cream to reward ourselves for a job well done… I am so gonna fuck your brains out… and then I’ll make love to you, so sweet and tender…I’ll give you anything you want and do to you anything you need; because that, Cas?... that’s what mates do”

**

Ruby is at the firm, her desk full of paperwork ready to be checked but her mind is far away and so close at the same time, she looks at the pile of papers without really seeing it. The knowledge of what would happen to the baby if she doesn’t fix her own mess is killing her. She takes five minutes to wallow in and calm down knowing that being the registered girlfriend of a MetaAlpha will make things easy to organize over the phone.

“Yes, hello, this is Ruby Shurley. I’d like to ask for a marriage license for June 23rd or 30th, please… No… NO, Miss, you may wanna check your records again, it’s Shurley, S-h-u… yes, Shurley as in the Law firm. Good, now… yes, Miss, I know… Look, why don’t you go and check your files on me, Lady. I am a registered girlfriend to the MetaAlpha Samuel Winchester, I am entitled to do this on the phone, so… are those dates available or not?” Ruby doesn’t mind to sound so upset, the Meta office is well known for being exasperating and playing the bridezilla masks her ulterior motives for the rush, “Finally!, thank you, Lady… yes, I’ll email the documents this afternoon, thank you and have a nice day”

Point one checked.

Ruby relaxes a bit and now she has to get everything set for the wedding itself. She’s got mostly everything planned but won’t have the time to do it herself and being Sam a Meta all the costs are covered so Ruby thinks ‘what the hell’ and calls her acquaintance Jenny, one of the best wedding planners in LA.

Ruby dials and after the mandatory hellos she says, “Well, Jenny, I am gonna need your professional help. Do you think you could handle a Meta wedding?”

“OMChuck, you caught a Meta, girl? Good for you!” the woman on the other side of the phone laughs out loud.

“Jenny, calm down, would you? You know Sam and I have been living together for a while now and that we’ve made our compatibility test a long time ago… so, yes, he’s my MATE… so what is it gonna be, then… the license is gonna be for June 23rd or 30th  you think you can manage it?”

“Wait, WHHHHAAAAAATTT? That’s in what? Six weeks? Less than that. Are you insane, Ruby?”

“Probably, but the truth is that my schedule is full until December, and none of us want to wait that long… if you think it’s too much for you I can always contact someone else” Ruby teases, she knows Jenny’s business will benefit from arranging a Meta wedding.

“You do that and I will never speak to you again” Jenny protests

‘ _And when do you?’_  Ruby thinks but says nothing… she’s  _so_  good at handling people.

“Ruby, you know my company is the best one in town, we can so manage your wedding, girl”

“I know, I know, Jen. Look, I’ve got almost everything decided. The Ceremony and the Reception are gonna be at home, so you can cross out the Church from the list, see? Two things less to worry about”

“Cool, that’s always good news. Still we’ll have to meet with you and the groom a couple of times at least. We’re gonna need the big bucks and the Meta influence to have things done in such a short time. Let me diagram a couple of things and we’ll gather to compare notes with what you have in mind… I am so happy… for you, of course” and now it’s Ruby’s turn to laugh out loud because she knows Jenny means she’s happy for her business…

Ruby relaxes on the chair now, happy to have accomplished everything she had planned for the day. If everything continues like this she’s gonna be ready ‘ _to get pregnant’_  for Sammy in a week.


	21. All I Have to Give

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patinesa is taking a long vacation!

_But my love is all I have to give_  
  
Without you I don`t think I can live  
  
I wish I could give the world to you...   
  
But love is all I have to give.

 

Cas and Dean get into the Impala and start their  _heat shopping tour_. First stop: the supermarket.

Now, since Cas was not planning in spending his heat with his mate and was ready to be on his own eating and crying himself to sleep, he has no shopping list ready the mates basically go through the isles taking whatever Cas likes best, making sure to grab what it looks like a hundred units of bottled water and pretty much the same amount of beer (Dean’s primary drink of choice), Cas is gonna need to hydrate as much as get back all the nutrients he’s gonna lose from sweating and all the exercise (or so Dean has read) so he moves through the green area and grabs fruit, mostly bananas for the potassium (and because you should always bring a banana to a party and he’s planning on making their first heat together a party to remember)

 

“Dean… What are you doing? TV dinners…  Really?” at Dean’s request Cas brings in his arms some towels and bed sheets, so they can forget about laundry and just focus on the important thing:  _Cas_.

“What? Y’planning on cooking in between heat waves or ask Char to cook for us… uh? Well, good luck with that” Dean makes sense, “Next time we can make this fancier… right now there’s no time… we’re on deadline, so grab what you can and let’s go”

“Dean, relax! You’re making me nervous” But he knows Dean’s right, “I’m still not sure about all this… Dean, I don’t want you to freak out about my heat, Love; that’s exactly why I didn’t want to drag you into it, you know?”

 

 _‘I’ll be damned’_ , Dean thinks; ’ _I’m stupid’,_  “Cas, no, listen, man. Sorry, I just want to do the right thing for you; I don’t want you to worry about anything, alright?” Cas nods and puts the towels and sheets in the shopping cart and finds himself dragged into a hug and he just relaxes, “Let’s go for the sweets, shall we?” he says heading to the freezers and gallons of chocolate chip fudge mint and rocky road ice cream, Cas favorites.

 

“I think this is it… Cas, do you see anything else you may need or want?”

 

“Not really, but Dean, you haven’t picked anything  _you_  may like, Love…”

 

“We’ve got beer… and about food… I don’t mind as long as you have everything  _you_  want and you don’t make me eat rabbit food, I’m okay…” Dean winks and they both head to the cashier.

 

Cas takes his wallet out but Dean is faster and has his Visa card ready, Cas is about to protest but, “Shut up, Cas. We’re a team”

 

“Okay, Dean… but next time this is on me”

 

“Next time we’ll organize better and you cook in advance; my boyfriend’s the best cook in town and we’ll spend three days on TV dinners, now let’s get it all into the Impala and get to your place”

 

 _Heat tour_ second stop: the Federal Mating Agency to get registered as Mated Alpha/Omega partners. Since the Alpha/Omega mating can be tested at skin level, a simple patch that turns red when put against both men’s arm, and they’re officially, legally mates. All benefits, not known downside. They kiss right there in the office with a chorus of awes from the female employees and grunts from the male… well…from some of them.

 

Cas and Dean couldn’t care less, they’re mates so fuck them all. Not that they had any doubts but making it legal has a certain reassurance, some sort of tranquility that they welcome. Certificate in hand they head to the Angel’s Pit.

 

Taking the groceries up to Cas’ apartment takes a little while and as soon as the fridge is packed and everything in its place, Castiel goes down to talk to Char and Dean decides to go to work a little earlier to show the Mating Certificate to his boss. Hell, he’s been working for only two days and now he has to take three days off to take care of his mate; but the law is on their side and, besides, the guy is very nice and Dean could swear he’s gonna be cooperative.

 

Dean goes into the restaurant and finds Cas arguing with Char, he can’t hear them but he’s pretty sure that the argument is about Cas’ heat, Dean winks at Char as soon as she notices him.

 “Cas, I’m going to the garage early to talk to my boss but I’ll be back at my shift end, alright?” And just for the sake of making Charlie uncomfortable, Dean kisses Cas on the cheek and leaves.

 

“Okay, Love…” and then again to Char, “Look, I don’t care what you say, this is happening and that’s it. Now I’m going to finish some paperwork and pay some bills. Our arrangement about the restaurant for the days of my heat remains. If you wanna change it for next month we’ll talk about it next week. Now, excuse me, Charlie, I have work to do” and leaves her openmouthed and without the opportunity of a comeback.

 

Dean arrives to the garage twenty minutes later; certificate in hand he goes straight to his boss’ office. “Jeff, hi. May I come in?”

 

“Hey, Dean! Yes, sure. What can I do for you?” Jeff says grateful to have an excuse to put all the papers away for a while.

 

“Look, Jeff. I know I just started working yesterday and this is sudden but…” shit, this is not easy.

 

“But what, boy? Spit it, for God’s sake… you know I’m an Alpha too… so” so he can smell Cas on Dean, that’s what the guy is implying.

 

“Yeah, I know. The thing is that I recently mated and Cas, that’s my mate, is about to enter into Heat so I’m gonna need the three days period to… shit, Jeff, sorry, this is too new for me” Dean apologizes but not sure if for taking the days off so shortly after he started working or for being such a teen talking about it like that. “Here, this is the Mating certificate”

 

“My goodness, man! No need for that! I can still remember my first heat with the missus … oh, my, those were the days! I am sure you and your girlfriend will have a great time.”

 

“Boyfriend, me and my boyfriend” Dean corrects automatically with a smile, “I could work the next two Saturdays as compensation, if you’d like”

 

“Oh, my bad, I thought Cas was a girl’s name. Never mind, we’ll see about the compensation later. Maybe we could bank the hours for whenever we need you for extra time, how about that?” Dean agrees, so Jeff continues, “what days are you gonna take off?” and Dean informs him he’s gonna work this shift and take the next three days off and, talking from experience, Jeff tells him that, even when the legal time off is three days, most of the months he’s gonna need an extra day to recover.

 

So Dean, relaxed, happy and anxious goes to his own desk and dials Sam’s cel number.

 

“Hiya, Sammeh! Got a minute?” Sam  _always_  has time for his big brother. “Look, I don’t know how to say this so I’m just gonna say it, alright?”

 

“Gee, princess, then say it already… what’s going on?” Sam seems to be in good mood.

 

“ _Princess_ your gassy ass, Sasquatch. Well, shit, I’m at work so I don’t have much time since I’m gonna take a few days off and…” but he doesn’t get to finish.

 

“Oh. My.Chuck, Bro! Your first heat together, uh? Hope you two enjoy it, guys, but please spare me the details… one sexually uninhibited family member in my life is more than enough”

 

“What? You think I’m gonna take pictures and show off?”

 

“Ewww man, stop it!!! God, stop talking about it like that!! With you and Ruby I’ll have to take my brain out and put it in bleach… stop putting images in my head!”

 

“Oh, c’mon Sammy, it’s just sex!” Dean laughs but finally agrees it is awkward to have this conversation with his brother and finds himself wishing he had called Ruby instead, but what’s done is done, “Alright Sam, chill out, bro. I just wanted you to know I don’t think I’m gonna be seeing you in the next few days”

 

“You’re gonna spend it at home? Need a fridge in your room; I could get one of those for you” Sam tries to talk as cool as he can.

 

“Actually we’ve been shopping all morning and we got everything into Cas’ apartment, so we’re good” laughing nervously they say good bye and hung up.

 

Dean returns to his job, takes the files of the cars that have been admitted that morning and goes to check on the mechanics and control the work that’s being done.

 

The end of his shift did not come as soon as he wished; Dean thought it’d never be over. Before going home to Castiel he double checked all the paper work, and got everything loaded into the computer and only then he left and made it to Cas’ place in ten minutes.

 

When Dean arrives he finds Cas coming out of the shower, a towel around his waist and lands his eyes on Cas swirling hair and ruffles it while kissing him chastely, “How you’re feeling, Babe?”

 

“Still pretty good, I got a hot flush but the shower took care of it, for now. Wanna have a coffee and watch some TV?” they’ll have plenty of sex in the next three days so there’s no need to rush.

 

“Sounds good, but let me do the honors. You just stay there and relax.” And with that he goes into the kitchen and sets the coffee machine to work.

 

Castiel finds it funny that Dean is treating him so carefully and starts wondering how would it be if Cas’d ever get pregnant, but he will not say it out loud. It’s too soon.

 

“Here, Cas. Now, what are we watching? Huh… Doctor Sexy…”

 

“You don’t like it? I could change channels, I’ve already seen this episode anyway” Cas gets the remote but Dean just dismisses him.

 

“Nah, it’s okay, I’ll watch it if you like this kind of shows” he’s still a little embarrassed to acknowledge he  _loves_  this show, intended for housewives.

 

Later that afternoon, they’ve already eaten, cleaned the kitchen and Dean has taken a shower. Draped in a towel he finds Cas still on the couch dozing out. “Hey, hey Cas, Babe. Let’s go to the bedroom and watch TV there, ok? He takes Cas’ hand and leads him to the bed, gets him naked and then lies beside him, his arm around Cas shoulders and turns the TV on.

 

“Whenever you start feeling anything you just tell me, ok? Whatever you need just ask, no matter how silly it may seem to you. You want a rocky road pizza? You got it, alright?”

 

“Well, as much as appreciate your willingness, that pizza does not sound like yummy at all, but I get the point” Castiel says turning his head to watch Dean in the eyes, “I promise you’ll be the first to know whenever it starts. Right this moment I can feel the sadness around the corner and that’s the part I hate the most because it makes me cry for hours for no reason and I can’t stop it”

 

“That was then and this is now, Cas. We’re both new to this and we’ll see how our bodies react to each other” Then he whispers in Cas’ ear ‘ _My money is on fun’_ , making the other man chuckle.

 

They lay cuddling, Dean’s arms around Cas, his other hand rubbing his mate’s chest while he kisses his back. With Dean taking care of him, touching and making him feel loved, the sadness starts dissipating and a warm feeling replaces it. Cas doesn’t feel like crying, no tears this time- not like the ones that have always reminded him of being bitterly alone-. Still no need for sex but the kissing, caressing and cuddling makes him want to embrace this heat. His mate is with him and nothing else matters.

 

They fall asleep in each other’s arms.

 

At some point in the night Cas’ body temperature starts to increase and it wakes Dean up. He checks the time on the TV and turns it off. He doesn’t want to wake up Cas; he knows the moment is coming but he can wait until Castiel is ready. No need to push it.

 

Dean smells the now stronger scent of Cas heat and it drives him crazy, he’s horny as hell but he will wait. He will never behave towards Cas as if he were a thing, an Omega whose only purpose is to be fuck full _, face down-ass up_  and get knocked up. He won’t do that to Castiel; so Dean waits, surrounded by the smell of his love’s heat and struggling to stay still.

A few minutes later Dean cannot take it anymore; Castiel’s skin is on fire and his smell is overwhelming. Dean’s head is spinning, his throat dry and his dick is painfully hard. Never in his sex life he’s felt this horny. He slowly moves closer to Castiel, leaving no space between them, and starts tracing sigils and letters on his back; softly touching the burning skin with the tip of his index.

 

Within seconds Castiel fully awakes with a groan, “Fuck me” is all he says looking straight into Dean’s eyes, “Now”.

 

‘ _Shit_ ,  _Demanding Cas; how am I supposed to last enough to satisfy him when I am about to come by the very sound of his voice?_ ’ Dean thinks while attempting to kiss and touch him with all the tenderness he can.

 

“ _ **NO**_ , Dean! I need you to just fuck me already! No kissing, no cuddling, no talking.  _ **TAKE ME NOW**_!” And shifting himself on the mattress he gets face on the pillow and ass up, and the slick coming out of his channel makes Dean mouth water and he can’t remember how but he finds himself burying his dick into Cas in a single move, manhandling Castiel to open his legs further apart to have better access and they’re in Heaven. “God, Cas… this feels so good” and starts moving with a steady pace.

 

“Harder, Dean…   _fuck_ , I need you!” Cas manages to say almost breathless, “That’s better, faster now;  _ **FASTER, DEAN**_!”

 

They move as one, frantic, the pace brutal; Dean’s hands gripping Cas’ hips, sinking in the skin, marking him. The sounds Castiel makes every time he hits his prostate are glorious, the strong mating smell is invading the room; the way he’s thrusting back is way too much, Dean leans his weight on one hand and with the other he takes Castiel’s dick, striking at the same pace he’s moving inside him, he says panting “Come for me, Cas… come for me”

 

The knot is sudden and the orgasms strike them both like a lightning bolt, Dean whispering Cas’ name, finding impossible to any more sounds out of the physical effort and Castiel screaming “Oh, God, more, Dean… more!! I’m coming, DEAAANNNN!” them both panting for air.

 

Dean collapses on top of Cas, planting lazy kisses on Castiel’s neck and shoulder blades, caressing the mark on his hips, whispering words of love on his ears. Cas is too numbed to talk, gasps for air and Dean moves them to their side so Castiel is more comfortable, only the movement draws a new orgasm and he hugs Cas tightly biting his shoulder hard, “Oh, Cas, you like this, Babe?” Castiel also orgasms again when he feels the knot inside him oozing once more, “Feeling good, Babe? Because I sure am” Dean smiles against Cas neck, “Is there anything you want me to do right now?”

 

Cas smiles over the shoulder and sighs, “Just keep on rocking us, you can slow down a bit now… I don’t want you to get tired so soon, you know?” winks at Dean and lays his head back on the pillow, pulling himself closer to Dean, happily sighing again.

 

 

They remain like that for as long as the knot is stretching Cas’ channel , caressing and moaning each other’s name when a new orgasm hits, milking Dean away; leaving Cas full and satisfied… for a while. They just stay there breathing in each other’s skin; waiting for the new wave of heat to start. Still no rush, they’re home.

 

Dean’s cock slips out of Cas, making him whimper at the loss. “Wanna go for a shower, eat some breakfast and get strength for round two?”

 

“No time, Love. Bring me water, two bottles and then I need you again… right away!” a ferocious look in Cas’ once deep blue eyes, now dark of desire.

 

Dean runs to the kitchen bringing water for both of them and chewing half a cookie and drinking some water. Castiel drinks his bottle and the water left on Dean’s and tossing them to a corner of the bedroom then he pins Dean to the mattress. “I’ll ride the show now” and throws himself above Dean’s body; kissing him slow and tender on the lips and the cheeks, with his eyes open, “Later, I’m gonna kiss every freckle of your body, from the ones on your toes to the ones in your hands. I’ll bite each one too, and then, after counting them all, I’ll let you fuck me… but that’s in a while, right now I want you again, Dean”

 

Dean’s hardness is pulsing against Cas’ thighs, refractory period surprisingly short;  feeling his mate’s need in his voice and his skin, “Ooh, Babe, I take that as a promise. Are you okay in this position?” Castiel Novak, former mated Omega without a mate smiles coyly and kisses him one more time, rubbing his dick against Dean’s navel, “Mhm I’ll take that as a yes” he says smiling back and taking Cas’ hips he lifts him high enough to set his dick in place, thrusting him back down impaling his cock inside Castiel.

 

But Cas wants to have the control, so he takes Dean’s hands and pins them back to the mattress above his head and sets to motion, his pace hard and frantic; almost taking his mate’s dick out of himself up to the tip only to bury all the way back in,  each thrust harsher and deeper. Dean’s hand worshiping Cas’ torso, nails over the harden nipples and touching all around, as if finding hard to decide what part he likes best, being his mate so perfect, wanting to give him all he has…  _everything  he is_.

 

Takes a little longer to get them to the edge this time, but it’s alright, because the need is a little less strong. Still the moment Dean lifts himself off the mattress to kiss Cas’ chest moaning and breathing heavily on his mate’s skin, that’s the moment Castiel tosses his head back and comes untouched all over his man’s belly crying Dean’s name, feeling his Alpha’s knot trapped inside him expanding and hot beyond reason against his prostate, and Dean is coming too with his face buried in Castiel’s chest.

 

Cas bends forward and stays steady over Dean’s torso, “The worst part is over, at this time I can usually go outside with the suppressors… Not that I need or can or want to go anywhere at the moment, though” and winks rolling his hips.

 

“Cas…  _ **OH GOD**_ … Cas… can we…  _ **FUCK**_!... could you please stop moving?  _ **FUCK**_ , Cas!” Dean tries to say something but Cas finds funny to make him moan and pant, “Cas… God, Castiel!... Is this the moment to… Fuck, Cas!” knowing he’s never gonna be able to finish the sentence he just grabs Cas’ ass and gets him closer, “You’ll kill me, Babe” he says kissing his mate on the temple.

 

“Well, yeah… that’s what mates are for, after all” Cas deadpans, rolling his hips once again.

 

Castiel tries to flip them to a more comfortable position to wait for the waves of cum and the knot to finally go but Dean likes to have him on top and stops him from doing it.

 

“Stay like this, Cas. I like to watch you come from this angle” and so, a while later they are able to move again.

 

“Damnit, I’m hungry now” Cas says when the knot recedes after long fifteen minutes, “Let’s get that pizza you’ve offered, but I’ll take the ice cream on the side, if you don’t mind” he smiles at his tired mate and promises, “After eating we can take a nap… can’t promise a long one but we’ll rest for a while” and kissing Dean’s forehead he gets up and runs to the kitchen… well, runs as much as his gooey limps let him.

 

They spend the day between naps and small amounts of food and water, at some point Dean starts drinking beer, “Oh, man, this is good” he says “Want some, Babe?” offering his can to Cas.

 

“Mmmm no, Love, thanks… I would take  _YOU_  instead” and leans in to kiss him deeply.

 

They fuck, take showers, change the bed sheets, move some furniture around, watch TV and fuck their brains out a bit more. Castiel always craving for Dean, it’s the first heat he spends with someone, without suppressors and fucking like bunnies. The experience itself it’s completely different from whatever escenario he had before and way better than what he could have ever dreamt of. Dean is perfect, always watching over him, taking care of him, making sure he gets what he needs, always putting Cas’ pleasure and needs before his own. Dean’s ‘ _I love you’_ brightening his heart every single time.

 

Thirty six hours have passed and the second day of heat finds them at 4PM eating ice cream out of the boxes sitting on the couch with Cas head on Dean’s lap.

 

“Dean…?”

 

“What, Babe? You want me to change channels? What d’you wanna watch?”

 

“No, the show is okay. I was thinking I never told you how much I care for you. How happy you make me…”

 

“You don’t have to if you’re not ready, Cas.” Dean cuts him off.

 

“But I am and I want to…” Dean nods and Castiel carries on, “My life was dull, from heat to heat, from dawn till dusk day after day; then, a day like any other, your freckled face and grass green eyes captured mine and I knew I wanted you right the second you showed up at my terrace for pizza. My life changed from that moment on, even if I realized it later. What I am trying to say, Dean is… I love you and will always do, for all eternity”, the tears filling his eyes are not like any other he may have shed in any previous heat, these tears are of joy and he owes it all to Dean; he kisses his mate’s hands, “I think I’ll start with these freckles, now…”

 

Cas falls down to his knees on the floor and does his best to kiss the constellation of freckles all across Dean’s body; his arms, shoulders, chest and there he takes more time, biting a little bit… “I lost track at two million… Well… maybe next time” he says biting Dean’s nipple and moving himself up to place his hips against Dean’s shaft.

 

Dean watches him amazed at how easily his mate makes him lose control; they’ve already made love and knocked furniture down like a gazillion times in the past day and a half and yet here they are, craving for each other like the first time.

 

“You’ve been kissing me for fifteen minutes and not a single kiss has landed on my lips… get that mouth over here, Cas, my lips miss yours” Dean says grabbing Cas hair and getting him up, kissing him long and tasting him as if his mate were a piece of pie. “Man, did you ever taste this good, or is it just me going nuts?” They kiss for a long time, their cocks complaining, hard between their bellies but they’ll have to wait, right now both men need this attention.

 

Dean turns them over; laying Castiel’s back on the couch and starts following a path of little kisses all over Cas’ neck and collarbone, the chest and navel, biting and marking his mate. Cas is his now, and Castiel knows it; more to it, he loves when Dean does that, he feels claimed, marked and he’s happy because he is Dean’s now and forever.

 

Cas’ blue summer sky eyes go almost black when Dean says, “Ready for round two gazillion and five? I want to try something different this time”, Cas clenching the cushion and shivering in advance. “You’re getting better and better at finding new ways of saying yes, Cas…”

 

Dean licks his way to Cas’ navel and kisses a path down to his thighs where he plants open kisses sucking the skin leaving red dots everywhere but the one spot Cas wants him to, “C’mon Dean, stop teasing!” Dean smirk is glorious and he goes back to lick all around Cas’ twitching dick, “Dean Winchester if you don’t stop teasing me I’ll flip you over and fuck  _your_  brains out for a change”

 

Dean stops shocked but amused at Cas’ words, “Well, man, that’d be a totally different kind of heat, lemme tell ya” but he plants chaste kisses all over Castiel’s shaft without breaking eye contact; and without warning he takes him full. Dean begins to slowly pull away, teasing once again, but Cas can’t take it anymore; he clutches to Dean’s hair and shoves his cock back home into Dean’s mouth, fucking him once… twice, until he finds himself pinned to the couch again. “ _NO_ , I have other ideas for you, just stay still; trust me, Babe”

 

Cas does his best not to move, closing his eyes and gasping; Dean strokes Cas with a pace that’s a torture in itself while his tongue toys with Castiel’s rim, licking and tasting his mate’s slick for the thousandth time but that feels just like the first. “Fuck Dean… Oh shit!” Cas pants making Dean smile to himself pushing his tongue further inside Cas, a finger joining in, fucking Castiel slow and steady, his other hand still stroking Cas’ dick. Another finger and then a third goes in looking for the right spot and with a moan Cas tells him he’s just found it, he’s crying out loud and Dean loves it. That’s when his mouth moves from the rim to the cock. The rhythm of finger and mouth fucking the same, brutal and fast; Castiel panting and moaning Dean’s name, asking for more, pleading for whatever Dean has to give; fully trusting him he abandons himself to his mate, to Dean working him inside out, and with a scream he comes, leaving the other guy in ecstasy with his cum filling his mouth, tasting him, adoring him.

 

Dean lets Cas’ dick slip off his mouth with a pop while swallowing and crawls on top of Castiel, smiling and kissing him soft and tender. Castiel accepts the kisses still panting for air, clinging from the skyrocket of his orgasm but still trying to touch his mate, to give him some pleasure. Dean could die of love, “I don’t want you to move, Cas. I’ve had enough orgasms today. Just enjoy yours. These days are about you, I am just an accessory who’s enjoying this way too much. Let me do this heat about you” and he takes Cas to the bed and they cuddle for a while.

 

After this the heat is less frantic. They sleep relaxed, taking longer naps; they eat better, taking time to properly heating the food. Dean enjoys his beers and Castiel joins him with one from time to time. They take showers together without jumping on each other and knotting themselves in the small bathtub. They kiss more for no other reason than just because.

 

Friday 7PM and they’re eating the worst chicken cacciatore ever, “You know I hate you, don’t you? My boyfriend is one of the best cooks in LA and here I am, eating crap, because he was too shy to tell his mate he was going into heat” he says clearing the table and kissing Castiel in the forehead before taking it all to the sink.

 

Cas follows him with the eyes to the kitchen and crooking an eyebrow he says, “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, Love, but if I had known this was the outcome of heats with a mate I would have made an appointment after the first kiss”, Dean winks at him over his shoulder and goes back to do the dishes, “Anyway, my experiences had never been good, it’s always been horrible, as a matter of fact. Imagine this: during the first decade, every month, I’ve experienced three days of sadness and arousal”, Cas is in a roll of sharing and will not lift his eyes from the table, “I lost my virginity to a toy, did I tell you? I can usually handle the last part of the heat with suppressors and occasional jerk offs but the first twelve hours I can’t help but to fuck myself into something… it’d be someone now, sorry”

 

Dean understands Castiel is sharing his most terrible memories and it should be hard enough for him, so he stays quiet and leaning on the door frame at Cas’ back.

 

“Just imagine being a sixteen years old freshman on a school trip, entering a bar with your team looking at a bunch of seniors and locking eyes with a really hot guy, tall, handsome as hell and with the most perfect green eyes ever” Dean opens his eyes wider, “Right that second my senses blurred and my stomach ached, I just started feeling a need I had never experienced before, something that cried to be filled. It may sound funny but at the moment I was certain I was about to die, so I went to the restrooms and stayed there until a teacher found me. I was sweating and burning; at first they thought I was ill with the flu or something so they took me to the doctor and he laughed, ‘ _He’s an Omega in heat, how old is he?_ ’ The Doctor said to the teachers I was too young, ‘ _Are you mated, boy_?’ he asked me, to which of course I answered I wasn’t. Well, there was the green eyes guy but we had only looked at each other and I’ve always thought of myself to be into girls, anyway. He told my teachers I should see my Doctor and start taking the pill. He said and I quote, ‘ _He has to be educated as an Omega_ ’, and that was it, I was officially a mated Omega with no mate” Castiel spills almost without stopping to breathe, eyes watery.

 

“They say mating is for life; that it happens only once. So, Dean” Cas turns to face him, “What are we, then? Did I really found two mates in my life? I had always thought I’d spend my life on my own” the tears free falling now, with a forced smile he says, “You know this is the first time I told anyone about the senior? Your eyes remind me of his, and he was just as beautiful. I must have a type” he approaches his mate and cupping his face he whispers, “But I’m yours, Dean. Only yours”

 

Dean lets Cas hug him, anything to avoid him see his puzzled look. It can’t be, it’s impossible. Is Castiel the missing piece of the biggest mystery in Dean’s life? But he can’t say anything, not now; he’ll have to talk to Tom and Adam, his friends from school. Afterwards he’ll talk to Sam and only then, he’ll come clean to Castiel. All Dean can do right now is listening to his heart so he says “Yes, you are. You are mine and I am yours, forever” and then kisses him on the neck and the collarbone, whispering tenderly all his promises of love.

 

They take their time; none of them is going anywhere anytime soon. The heat is over, but they couldn’t care less, this time is not about the heat, this time is about love and all the promises Dean has made.

 

**

 

While Dean and Cas are busy with the heat, Ruby occupies herself with the wedding arrangements.

 

“Jenny, remind me… who’s getting married?” Jenny looks at her clueless of what she means, “Me! Good, now that we understand each other, I told you we don’t want a venue. We’d like to keep it small” Oh, boy, this woman may be good at organizing parties but she’s a pain in the ass and Ruby will not take any shits, it’s _her_ wedding and she’s the one making the decisions. “Again, Jen, I know he’s a Meta! We will invite the right people. You understand in this case ‘ _keeping it small’_  means at least a hundred guests, right?”

 

“Okay, Ruby, I see. Let’s talk about the catering, the most important part of the wedding planning. I think Spago’s pastry chef is what we need, I’ll order some cake samples and we could talk to the guys in Charm City Cakes West. Then we have to discuss music, tables, chair dress, sitting arrangements, flowers, entertainment, photography, invitations, officiant, Favors & Gifts, bridesmaids, best men, the rings, Rehearsal Dinner and, last but not least, the dress. That’s it, I think.” She goes silent for a few seconds checking on her list in case she missed something.

“I have already hired two assistants for the moment, we’ll see if they’re enough. We’ll need to make some decisions today, though, so we can start crossing items from the list. Ruby, do you want videos and photos or just photos?”

 

“It’s a Meta wedding, I want both. And you can cross the cake and the catering from the list; because I want a friend of mine to handle that, if he says no then you can try Charm City or Spago,  _ **DON’T MAKE THE CALLS JUST YET, PLEASE**_!” Ruby rises the tone to make sure jenny fully understands.

 

“I get it, I get it… I’ll put the main restaurants in LA aside in favor of your friend. Heaven knows what you have in mind… Let’s see… you want a DJ or a band? DJ is gonna be easier to find in such a short time and then we can focus on something else”, Jenny says.

 

“Well, a DJ is alright” Ruby agrees.

 

“Good, let’s see now. Invitations, do you want virtual invitations or actual ones?”

 

“It has to be real ones. He’s a Meta, we’ve got appearances to keep. We need to settle that today so we can send the invitations next week. Do you have the samples?”

 

“I do, we’ll come back to it later. You’ve got the attendants list ready?” Ruby will email it to her tonight, “I have the samples of the seats and the fabrics for the chair dress and the tablecloths. So, we’ve got lost of samples to go thru today. You’ve thought about the color scheme and the flowers?”

 

“The colors have to be red and light blue. Flowers forget-me-nots, roses and something while of your choice.”

 

“I like that. Let’s see what else? Oh, yes, we’re missing the show and… who’s gonna officiate the wedding again?”

 

“We could have a stand up, something funny but not gross. And the Meta rules are clear so it’s a Church or a priest. So a priest it is” Ruby thinks out loud.

 

“How about the bridesmaids, will they have ushers? How many? And who’s gonna be the Maid of Honor and the Best Man? Are there gonna be Bachelor/Bachelorette parties?”

 

“Take note, I will have four bridesmaids: Andrea, Jo, Laura and my sister Beck. And I think I want Andrea to be my Maid of Honor. I know Dean will be Best Man and I want three ushers, Kevin, Benny and probably Cas or my brother… we’ll see about that later. And hell yes, we’ll have parties. Now let’s focus, bring the samples over”

 

 


	22. Like A Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patinesa will return next week!

_Girl don`t stop_  
The sun from shining down on me   
Cause I can`t face another day without your smile   
And if you take away the loving arms that surround me  
Then I might break down and cry just like a child

********

Saturday morning and the heat’s really over. Cas wakes up lazily, looking at his right he smiles at the sight of Dean still asleep beside him, just like every morning since they got together. They had decided to spend the day apart, certain they can go back to their regular lives with their bond stronger than ever, go back to their own jobs and meet at night at home, as usual.

“Mornin’, Cas. ‘time is it?” Dean asks in a yawn when Castiel gets up to use the bathroom.

“Sorry, Love. Did I wake you? It’s almost seven. Go back to sleep”

Dean grunts something unintelligible and falls unconscious on the pillow again. Cas uses the facilities and goes through his toiletries until he finds what he needs.

The past three days have been physically challenging for Dean, the effort left his whole body aching and Castiel knows his boyfriend’s Saturday is gonna be long and tough, getting all his work updated and ready for Monday. 

So he starts the coffee and goes back to the bedroom, turns Dean to his belly and humps over his ass above the sheets making Dean jump awake in a fraction of a second. “Cas…? What ‘you’re doin’… I don’t think I teased that much…?”

“Relax, Dean… you’ll enjoy this…” and opens a little bottle and Dean tries to turn his head to see what Cas is doing but his mate won’t let him. “I said  _relax_ , Dean, don’t you trust me, Love?” He pours some of the bottle content on his palm and rubs both hands together to warm the liquid. Then he starts massaging Dean’s back. And yes, Dean is definitely enjoying this.

“Oh, Babe, you’re the best… this feels so damn good” and he can feel all his muscles relax under Castiel’s hands.

Afterwards they shower and get dressed for work and take a while to have breakfast. Coffee, scrambled eggs, toasts and bacon; Cas promises pie for dessert at dinner. Eight thirty, with the dishes done and the bed clothing in a bag Dean kisses Castiel deeply and says so long. He’s going to drop the laundry on a laundromat on his way to the Garage, pay for the service and pick it up at shift end.

Half an hour later Cas goes downstairs to the restaurant. Char says good morning without lifting her gaze from the reservation book but Cas couldn’t care less. His day after the heat has begun and- for the first time in years- he does not hate himself.

**

Ruby’s Saturdays are usually her time for relax, check on the house chores and organize online shopping to refill fridge and cupboards, planning meals and a little gardening at the back deck in the afternoon. But this Saturday she’s finding it hard to enjoy.

She hasn’t told Sam yet. Oh, she had tried to talk to him several times in the past few days; Jo has had night shift since Wednesday and Dean and Cas… well… they’ve been pretty busy.

Having dinner by themselves for the first time in a month and for three days in a row you’d say it would give her all the chances to sit and talk, yet she hasn’t found the right moment. Every time she was about to start talking, Sam would begin a new story about the hospital or about Dylan and Sam would seem so touched and sad about him that she couldn’t find the heart to bring her subject; another time he would start a one sided conversation about Dean’s problem with the deadline and his brother’s worries about proposing to Cas, even when the guy is so in love with him that he wouldn’t hesitate to say  _yes_  in a heartbeat.

Every time she has tried to talk, something or someone would interrupt her; Jo bickering about Cas, or a call from the hospital or even something as trivial as the gardener asking if she’d like him to re do the landscape.

The days go by and she’s still keeping a secret from Sam and that feels awful.

**

Back at the garage, Dean goes through the paperwork after taking personal care of a vintage car which has been paid in advanced, with full approved budget as long as it is finished by Saturday afternoon… that was a week ago, today’s the day and the only other guy who knows about vintage cars got the flue on Thursday so there are still a couple of adjustments to do. Dean works on it first thing in the morning and by noon it’s already finished all tuned up and stuff.

Jeff is impressed at the work well done and happy that Dean has decided to show up even if he didn’t have to.

The rest of the shift he just handles the overdue paperwork mechanically while he keeps thinking about Castiel. Dean wants to do something special for him, some kind of treat. Maybe go on a date, take him to dinner. Make him happy, that’s all.

So he calls him, “Babe, wanna go out tomorrow?”

“Go out like in a  _date_?” Cas likes the sound of it.

“Well… yes, I can be sap from time to time.  _Darling_ ” Dean deadpans, “A guy at work told me about this restaurant called The Misfit. I know what you think, you owning a restaurant and everything… I just thought it’d be nice to try something different… you know what? It was a stupid idea… just forget it” Dean chickens out.

“Wait, Love, wait! I didn’t say  _no_ … it’s just that I had already assumed we don’t do dates…it’s kinda odd but as long as I have you I’ll be okay with anything you wanna go for” Cas is liking the idea of a date more and more, “So, yes, Dean. I’ll go on a date with you, but you gotta do it right, though; dinner at The Misfit and a movie. I’ll pick the movie; it won’t be a chick-flick, promised!” Dean’s smile couldn’t be any wider.

“It’s a date, then. I’ll pick you up at seven. I’ll make the reservations” Dean says looking at the computer screen where he’s got the Resto website on to check the phone number.

“Use my name on the reservation, Love. They’ll give you a better table or even a discount”

“Will do, Babe. Love you!”

“Me too, same”

**

At lunch Dean goes to the hospital with two Subs for a quick bite and a talk with Sam.

“Hiya, Sammy. Here, a vegetarian sub… the hell did I do wrong raising you I’ll never know…”

“Funny… Most parents would be proud that their kids develop healthy food habits and here’s my big brother bitching about me liking rabbit food… whaddup, Dean, what you wanted to talk about?

“Well, yeah… I just don’t get it, that’s all” Dean tries to delay the talk as much as he can, he bites his sub, chews slowly and Sam looks at him just waiting, wondering…”Sammy, do you remember my road trip to California with the track team?, The one where I got that big trophy?”

“Of course I do, you got my spelling trophy off the shelf to put yours, why?”

“Let go, Sammy, my trophy was bigger than yours. Anyway, do you remember the shape I was in when I got back home? I was… God, I don’t want to remember”

“Hell if I’ll ever forget that, you were a wreck, definitely not a good day for you. But you never told me what had happened, I kept asking but all you’d say was something about a guy with blue eyes and a weird physical reaction to  _you-never-told-me-what_   and then you just stayed locked in your room for a couple of days… I haven’t thought about it for years, now. Are you finally going to tell me…”  _penny in the air_ , Dean thinks, “Oh shit”  _and the penny drops_ … yes.

“Yeah… well, anyway, Sam. This is important and I need you to stay put and shut your cakehole. Ready?” Sam nods, expectant, “I think that the guy that, eleven years ago, made me feel like that was Cas. No, don’t look at me like that, Sammy, I’m not crazy” Dean gets up from the chair and goes to look through the window, he can only see the parking lot but anything is better than looking into his brother’s eyes right now.

“No but, Dean, it makes sense. But how did you find out?”

“He told me today about his first heat, and guess when did it start? Yes, he was at the same fucking trip, Sam. He said it all started when, across the room in a bar, he saw a senior with green eyes and freckles looking his way. What are the odds, man? I started my Alpha mate signs at the same fucking bar after seeing a boy with the bluest eyes ever, also across the room. Fuck… I’m leaving…” he says, unable to stay still or to let Sam reason with him, “I have to call Tom, I need to talk to him”

“ _Tom_  from school? Ok, you do that and tell me what you find out right away. Dean you understand that if what you’re thinking, what  _we_  are thinking is real… all of this with Cas was meant to be, right?” Dean nods, “Then,  _STOP PROCASTINATING AND MARRY THE GUY ALREADY, JERK_!” Sam, pats Dean in the back while his brother leaves the room muttering ‘ _Bitch’_

“I’ll keep my mouth shut; I promise I won’t even tell Ruby”

“Yeah, specially that demon fiancée of yours”

Out of the hospital and already in the parking lot, Dean leans his back on Baby taking a moment to breathe and clear his mind.

Sammy’s right, he should stop putting off proposing to Cas. Mating due date or not he wants to spend the rest of his life with him. He’s never felt this kind of connection with any person before. And it doesn’t even have to do with the mating crap, sure the sex is awesome and the relaxation they provide each other only by the touch of their skins is amazing but it’s him being in the same room watching TV, or by the beach watching the ocean, or knowing that by the end of the day he gets to spend time with Cas what brightens his soul.  Still, the thought of losing him, of Castiel disappearing from his life, frightens him to death.

But he has to know.

Dean dials Tom number with his heart beating in his ears, “Hey, Tom, how are you, buddy? It’s Dean Winchester”

“Hey, there, Dean. How you’ve been? You’re in LA?”

“Yes, Tom, I’ve been for a while now, sorry I did not call before; I’ll explain later. Look, I was wondering if you wanna meet for coffee tomorrow?... Lunch? That sounds awesome, great. Where? ...Spago? Uh, you’re paying? Because there’s no way I can afford that right now. Cool. Spago at one it is. See ya, buddy!”

**

 Ruby arrives at the Angel’s Pit by the end of Saturday’s lunch hour. That’s the time of the day when she can find both Char and Cas at work. She doesn’t need her mind reading thingy to know that they are in a very delicate equilibrium; she won’t  risk making it worse for Cas or any delay on the wedding catering so she’s gonna talk to both of them at the same time. Ruby finds Cas at the front desk taking a reservation over the phone. She waits patiently and as soon as he hangs up Cas says hi while Char is joining them.

“Hello, Cas!” and she tip toes to kiss him on the cheek, making Castiel blush violently, which of course Ruby finds hilarious, “Oh, brother. You’ll have to get used to this. My family lived in Argentina for seven years when I was a kid and people there are very affectionate with family and friends; hell, they even greet strangers with kisses on the cheek. In my case it means that you are family so, baby, deal with me because, like or not, this is what I am” she says making Castiel laugh and Charlie look at them with a jaded look.

Ruby thinks for a moment that Char is going to ask her to leave, such a fed up look in her eyes, instead she greets her, sort of speak, “Hi, Ruby. How can we help you?” and Cas is about to say something to Char about being rude but Ruby interrupts him.

“Hi Charlie. Great to see you too, dear!” Oh she can be a bitch too, “I need to talk to the two of you. Can we sit? I’ve been running all morning and my feet are killing me”.

They take the table in the corner because the little office is a chaos of papers and it’d be uncomfortable for Ruby’s present situation, but Cas won’t say a word. He asks Meg to bring a bottle of Ruby’s favorite brand of water and then she starts talking.

“As you may know I’m getting married by the end of June” She says looking at Char since, of course, Cas already knows, “I was wondering if you could be my Catering Company, please?” she hopefully says.

“What do you need?” Charlie asks, quite harshly but beginning to soften… not much.

“I need Catering for my wedding, Charlie. That would include a cake for a hundred guests. It will have to have white, red and light blue flowers because I’ll have forget-me-nots and red roses and some white flowers that have not been picked up yet. It doesn’t have to be a complicated design, I want to keep everything simple, something funny and a little bit formal but not too much, I mean not cheesy nor extremely serious; it’s a Meta wedding but we are young people” Charlie nods and takes notes.

“Now about the catering; we’re thinking finger food and cold cuts as a starter and meat, vegetables and something with potatoes or rice, something like that for the entrée and pie with ice cream, maybe three or four different kind of pies, as dessert. Still, nothing fancy but classy” Ruby repeats by heart, hoping she did not leave anything out.

“Ooh, Ruby. I don’t know if we’ll be able to handle a hundred guests catering, sister” Castiel thinks out loud, Char glaring at him as if he were crazy.

“”The hell we’re not. We  _can_  and we  _will_ ” Charlie states without doubt, she is not gonna let go this opportunity to make a difference in the monthly income just because they’re being hired by Cas new family, (if that’s what they really are, anyway) “We’ll need a 50% deposit in advance so we can afford staff, supplies and goods. But, yes, we can definitely nail it.” Now that they’re talking business, Char feels more relaxed in front of Ruby, “It’s gonna be a honor to cater a Meta wedding, Ruby” Cas is ready to protest but Charlie cuts him cold, “Are you insane or still high from your heat?” ‘ _that was absolutely unnecessary’_  it’s what Castiel face says, “We’ve always wanted to be  _THE_  Catering company since… well, since the first day at Culinary School… if we cater a Meta Wedding it’ll put us on top of the list and it’d be the redemption we need from all the rubbish of the MetaSteve case”

“She’s right Cas” Ruby agrees, “Charlie, could you make cake designs and email them to me? Here’s my card. And also would you send me a diagram of a menu with what I requested? Thank you very much, Charlie” and as if dismissing her she turns to his brother-in-law, “Cas, a  word, please? “

“Sure, Rubs, let’s go outside for a moment” and they leave Charlie alone on the table, feeling left behind. If only they were doing well with the Restaurant and could send this woman fishing… but no… so she focuses on the list and starts planning the cake.

“No news yet… you know, about… _it_ ” Ruby says as soon as they go through the restaurant glass doors, “I’m doing the test today so as soon as I have the results I’ll text you  _yes_  or  _no_ , and  _then_  I’ll have to talk to Sam. Be a dear and when we announce it at home play dumb, pretty please! Oh Cas, how can I thank you for being so supportive, honey?”

“Are you kiddin’ me, Rubs? I should be thanking  _you_ , I love being your friend. I have two other sisters in law… they are… quite unpleasant to be around and we haven’t spoken since I left home, my little sister lives in Italy; and you’ve just seen my current situation with Charlie; sorry about that, by the way; so it’s good to have a new woman in my life” and they hug tightly, both friends in need of anchor and, of course, Ruby takes the opportunity to kiss him on the cheek again.

This time Cas kisses her cheek back.

**

The time has come. She’s a tough lady, she won’t be afraid of the outcome. Ruby loves Sam and she already loves the possibility of a little Winchester growing inside her. But she also knows it’s not part of the plan and Sam loves planning and making lists.

She took the test about five minutes ago; the result is waiting for her. Ruby picks up the stick, takes a deep breath and opens her eyes to check. The second line glows like a flare… she’s pregnant and a warm fuzzy feeling cocoons her. Correction,  _THEY_  are pregnant, she needs to tell Sam right away, she knows he should be the first one to know… only she grabs her phone and texts Castiel.

« _ **YES**_ »

« _ **CONGRATULATIONS! DOES HE KNOW**_?» Cas’ response buzzes instantly, as if it had been ready and waiting to hit send.

She answers fast, too.  _ **«HE’S AT THE HOSPITAL. U R THE FIRST. I’LL TELL HIM AS SOON AS HE DROPS HIS HAT. I’M SCARED»**_

She hopes Sam won’t get too mad, she could cope with him being upset about his freaking bullet list but if he happens to reject her or the baby, if he even gives it all a millisecond of a thought… she doesn’t want to think anymore because she’s about to hyperventilate and now she’s got a baby in her to think of.

 _ **«STOP WORRYING. WE’LL CELEBRATE. I’LL PLAY FOOL BUT YOU’LL KNOW**_ » and when Ruby was still smiling at the screen, a second message arrives,  _ **«IT’LL BE ALRIGHT. BE HAPPY, MY FRIEND**_ »

 _ **«THANK YOU, BROTHER**_ » Ruby replies and she knows Cas is right and he’s on her side, she and her Baby are gonna be alright.

The hours go by too slowly and the house is quiet and way too big, Ruby is anxious so she decides to take a long bath and dresses for him, a beautiful white blouse Sam adores. It’s when she’s tying a bow in its collar that she has an idea. Gets a little box, puts the test inside, wraps it with a ribbon and puts it under the kitchen table just wishing Dean and Jo remain in their bedrooms so she can surprise Sam.

A couple of hours later Sam arrives and calls for his fiancée. She answers from the kitchen where she’s having a tea.

“Hi, honey. How was your day?” Sam kisses her temple and goes to get a coffee and have a seat next to Ruby.

“Good! We have the catering and the cake and Castiel has a Meta wedding to cater. It’s a win-win situation” She smiles at Sam.

“Great! I really like Cas and he’s a great cook too. I like that my brother in law is handling the food at our wedding” Sam leans in to kiss her lips.

“I got something for you, babe” She says still breathing his air and putting the box in Sam’s hand breaking the kiss and looking straight into his eyes.

For a moment it is hard to breathe, she feels the room too hot as she observes Sam opening the box. He looks at her surprised and confused, and Ruby is about to panic when reality finally hits him.

“Oh, God… you are…  _WE_  are… are we?” his eyes already watering and voice cracked with emotion.

“Yes, my love, we are… just about a month probably, maybe less but we definitely are” and Sam takes her from the chair and hugs her tighter than ever.

Sam kisses her… not a kiss of desire, not a promise of sex… just a million little kisses all over her face and mouth; he’s crying and smiling and kissing and then Ruby sighs in relief. She allows herself to relax and just be happy, tears of joy drops under her smile.

All of a sudden, Sam breaks the hug and takes his head between his hands, as if panicking, “Honey… we need to get married like  _NOW_ … I can’t believe it!” His smile wider by the second, “How long have you known? How did it happen? Ooh, Rubs I love you so much!”

“I love you too, honey… I’ve known it since noon but I’ve suspected since last Sunday.  I wanted to tell you before, Sammy, I really wanted to but you were all so busy and worried about things from the hospital and stuff I just couldn’t find the way of telling you before because, you know…” and then she blushes because even though she is happy with the outcome, she’s still embarrassed of the way it happened, “How? Well, the usual way when your fiancée’s elevator doesn’t go all the way up to the top floor, I forgot to take the pills for a few days. I swear, Sammy, it was an accident, I didn’t do it on purpose; Sammy, you  _have_  to believe me” and she’s all keyed up.

“Ruby, honey… no… don’t… please, don’t…” Sam cups her face and makes her look at him, “I am happy! I don’t care _how_ we got pregnant… we’re gonna be  _parents_!” He lifts her in a hug and kisses her nonstop all over the face and she giggles. Ruby laughs so hard her voice reverberates all around the house sounding like a scream and Jo and Dean get down from their bedrooms to check what’s going on.

They enter the kitchen almost at the same time but it’s Jo the one that talks first, “Is everything okay?”

Sam looks at them with teary eyes and, still with Ruby in his arms handles the box to Dean. Both Jo and Dean with their foreheads touching while they tower above the box, at the sight of its content Jo screams, eyes wide and Dean smiles with all his face and laughs, “Oh you two!” and takes Ruby from Sam’s arms hugging her himself and punching his brother in the arm while Jo wraps herself around Sam’s waist.

They all entangle in a group hug, smiling and crying at the same time. Sam can’t stop looking into Dean’s eyes and thinking about their childhood. The girls step aside to talk about baby’s nursery plans (Winchesters  _do_  like to plan things in advance).

Dean shakes Sam’s hand and pulls him in a bear hug, “My nephew or niece is gonna be the happiest and most spoiled child in the world”

“No, he or she is gonna be the most loved kid ever. You have to stay here, Dean. I need you more than ever”, Sam says with a bit of fear in the voice.

“Hey, kiddo, I’m not going anywhere” Dean whispers breaking the hug and then in a happier tone, “Except to a date with Cas”

“Wait! We have to celebrate this; we should all go for dinner!” Ruby proposes.

“Sorry, girl, I got reservations for tonight and my sister here works night shift. We could go tomorrow or, even better, next Saturday. I’ll ask Cas” Dean says and Jo sneers at the mention of Castiel but she won’t say a word because she is genuinely happy for Sam.

“Hell yeah, group hug, family!” Ruby screams and they all oblige.

**

The girls go to the living room to chat and continue making plans while the boys stay in the kitchen making coffee and talking.

“I’ll have to inform to the Meta office that we’re pregnant; thank God we’ve got our license before this or it would have been a bit suspicious. I think that as long as we get married soon it’ll be alright… don’t you think?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sammy. I have no ideas of the Alpha law. If your fiancée hadn’t told me to register with Cas as mates I would have skipped that like nothing… never got a clue about the Alpha or Meta laws… so… mind to elaborate?”

“Well… Get this: every baby procreated by a MetaAlpha has to be born within marriage. No matter the designation, but they have to be legally a family, married or mated. Problem here is that, even when I know she’s my mate and the science backs it up, law does not recognize Meta/Beta as a mating pair so we need to get married or the state will take the baby under its care and we won’t see him again… ever, Dean!” Sam is almost hyperventilating, “Even if the baby turns out to be a Beta, the Court is gonna keep him. I need to get married like  _yesterday_ ”

“It’s okay, Sammy; we’ll keep your baby safe”

**

Dean confirms the reservation at The Misfit under his boyfriend’s name. Online it seems a nice place and the prices are no expensive; the kind of place that Dean can afford, where he can sit and enjoy without thinking of the tab.

It’s a quarter to six and Dean has already showered and is half dressed, he doesn’t want his dress shirt to get all wrinkled.

Their first proper date.

Has he ever felt this anxious about a date before? Dean doesn’t think so. He’s always been cool and self-confident. Today he wants everything to be perfect, because Cas means the world to him and he wants to be Cas’ world too.

His eyes land on the mirror by the door and he sees his own reflection smiling dreamily at his own thoughts of his mate. He bites his own lower lip and gets on his feet, finishes getting dressed, grabs his jacket and heads to the front door almost running. It’s twenty to seven.

He arrives on time to pick up Cas at The Angel’s Pit, all suit up and perfect. He watches Cas come to him and it’s a vision. His tie matches his sapphire eyes, his hair is combed and his perfume intoxicating.

“Hello gorgeous. Man, you take my breath away and if you say a soul I’m getting all cheesy I will deny it” Dean kisses Cas in the cheek, gently taking his hands in the process.

“What, are we thirteen now?” Cas laughs, kissing Dean proper and deeply, “And you’re a sight for the eyes, too, handsome.” Says grinning “Now, come on. Let’s go. We don’t want to be late and lose the reservation”

Dean opens the door for Castiel, waits for him to get in and closes it with a wink and a coy smile; he goes around the car to the driver’s door taking long deep breaths, he’s gotta control himself, there’s no way they’re gonna get to the restaurant on time if he keeps on having thoughts of ties and beds and big hot ocean blue eyes turning black when they kiss.

They enter the restaurant and check their reservation; the Hostess greets them, “Good evening, gentlemen. Your table is gonna be ready in a few minutes. The Misfit invites you to have a drink while you wait, on the house, of course”

They sit at the bar, “Dude, I’m not drinking any of this…” Dean says checking the special cocktails list.

Cas takes the menu from his hands and handles it to the barman, “I’ll take a Bijou and my boyfriend here will have a glass of Inception Chardonnay, thank you” and turns to face Dean, “So, handsome, have we met already?” Cas teases and sets the tone of conversation for the evening.

“We may actually have, you know? It’s hard to forget such a deep blue eyes” if Cas can tease so can Dean.

After a few minutes the Maître comes to guide them to their table behind a wooden divider, perfect for couples to have privacy and also to muffle the noise of a very busy restaurant. They take a seat with their drinks and are left with the menus.

“Well, first date, then. How are you?” Dean asks.

“Good, actually. My restaurant, because I own a restaurant with my friend Charlie, is having a bit of a hard time because of a little issue with a Meta… but, fortunately, we have the best law firm in LA to represent us in curt” Cas continues in character.

“Really? What are the odds… My sister-in-law is a lawyer and she works for the best firm ever” Dean is game too, “And I am a simple mechanic that happens to work in the best auto shop in Santa Monica”

“You should say the ONLY auto shop in Santa Monica” Cas snorts gaining a warning look from his mate.

“Stay in character,  _CASTIEL_ ” but he smiles anyway.

“Okay… Okay” he clears his voice and, again in game, “The law firm is called Shurley-Edlund, I’m sure you’ve heard of it”

“Oh, go figure… that’s Ruby’s firm! She’s my brother’s fiancée, you see… What a coincidence”

“Really?? Ruby Shurley is your relative? She’s my lawyer… Man, this is meant to be…” Cas giggles while sipping his cocktail.

“Well, you know, weirder things have happened… you’ve mentioned a problem with a Meta. My own brother is a Meta, not the  _I-am-the-most-important-thing-in-Universe-and-you-are-crap kind of Meta_ , he’s a cool 6’5’’ Doctor, a bit hippie with his long hair and rabbit food diet, but he’s alright. He’s 25 and the only blood family I have” Character or not he will always speak highly of his baby brother.

“Nice to know there are good people in the world despite designations. Now, I do have siblings as well, five of them, actually. But I speak to only 2.5 of them… yes, don’t laugh because I can explain…”

The waiter interrupts to take their orders with a smile and withdraws to the kitchen.

“As I was saying, I have five siblings, my elder brothers run the family business, then we have the twins (although you’d never guess it from the look at them) one of them is a broker and the other an art merchant and then my baby sister Anna, she lives in Rome so I don’t get to see her often. I regularly meet with the twins for lunch, and about twice a year with Anna over the phone if she doesn’t come to visit. I haven’t have contact with the eldest one since like forever and my father… well, if you see my father say hi from me because he’s disappeared years ago, always travelling, and my mom died at Anna’s birth”

“I’m sorry, Cas” no character talking.

“It’s ok. Mom died a long time ago and I never liked some of my brothers anyway, they’re not good people”

The bottle of wine arrives at the table and the food a while later. Dean misses his beer but for the sake of the perfect date he says nothing. The wine is not that bad… not that he’ll ever tell anyone. The conversation upon the meal goes smoothly, from the teasing  _i-don’t-know-you_  to sharing everything that had happened in the years before meeting each other, from old lovers to past family tales… always avoiding that one field trip.

When it’s obvious that the conversation is leading to the silent eye fucking again, Cas waves the waiter for the bill and Dean insists in taking it… Cas lets him.

“Now, it’s time for the movie, sweetie” Cas smiles at Dean.

“Alright, then; what movie did you choose?” Dean says as they leave the table.

“Uh, I don’t know… I was thinking I am in the mood for ‘ _The fault in our stars_ ’ or maybe ‘ _50 shades of Grey_ ’ or… what about ‘ _If I stay_ ’?”

“Woha… you said no chick flick movies, Cas… that’s not fair” Dean says with a pout.

Castiel laughs out loud as they exit the restaurant, “Oh, Love, I don’t want to watch those movies. I just wanted to see your face and every single expression you made was worth it. Now, what I would actually love to watch is “The Imitation Game” or “Blackhat”, I prefer the one with Benedict Cumberbach, though”

“That’s the first one, right? Good, ‘ _The Imitation Game_ ’ it is” Dean agrees because he likes this guy’s ‘ _Sherlock’_ , “Let’s go, Castiel, I want to buy you Pope-size popcorn, the biggest one you’ve ever had”

They enjoy the movie and the chocolate they decided to get instead of the popcorn but they enjoy the company more. They hold hands and kiss in the dark, and at the end they cry a little … well… a lot, but Cas will never tell a soul that his mate has cried over a movie, it’s their secret.

Once out of the cinema they turn on their phones and Castiel finds five lost calls from Charlie. He calls her back thinking she might have an emergency but all she does is ask questions about Ruby and Sam’s wedding, until Cas tells her, “Charlie, stop. It’s Saturday night and I’m on a date and so should you. Go and watch a movie or get laid or whatever it is that you do with your girlfriend on a regular week end. One with no Cas/Dean’s ongoing date that is” Char complains but stops calling.

“Still doing her best, uh? Aaaanyway… what now? Coffee or ice cream?” Dean offers while opening the shotgun door.

“Such a gentleman…” Cas kisses Dean’s cheek and gets in, “Can I have a coffee ice cream?” He teases with a deadpan, “I prefer coffee… or a Starbucks© Frappuccino perhaps?”

“Sounds good, Starbucks© it is”, Dean winks at him and starts Baby.

They order their drinks and sit on an outside table; it’s a cool night and the breeze is soothing. The mates start sharing little secrets, small pranks from their childhood and eventually the conversation moves to more serious topics.

“I dated Lisa back in high school, on my sophomore year and part of my senior. We were good together and I began to think we’d get somewhere, you know… once graduated and everything, but one day- without even saying good bye- she left Lawrence with her folks and that was it. I never understood what happened, I mean, I could understand them moving and she being dragged with her parents, she was a kid after all; but leaving without even a note or a handshake? C’mon… who does that to someone you’re dating? Anyway, she came back a few years later with a kid, Ben.”

Dean takes a few seconds to clear his mind and Cas gives him the time he needs to elaborate what he’s got to say.

“We bumped into each other on our way out the supermarket and went for a coffee. She told me then that she had had a flint with a guy after she left town and got pregnant; that I should relax because Ben was not my son. By the time we were together I brought up the subject several times, Cas, the kid looks like me, but she insisted he’s not mine. I don’t know, man”

“I kept asking but she insisted that she had a type at the time she got pregnant and Ben’s father looked very much like me. At a point I stopped asking because I fell in love with the boy and felt him like my son for real. Bobby kept telling me to run a DNA test to be sure but I chickened out. What if he wasn’t my son after all? Would he look at me differently? Would Lisa be pissed off and ban me from Ben’s life? We’d been together for three years and part of the reason we split up is this… also it never felt right to stay with her, I loved her alright, yes, but not the way you should love someone you share your life with. So I ran away and went to see the world… well, Sioux Falls, to be honest with you. Started working again with Bobby and kept in touch with Ben ever since” He watches Cas in the eyes, his mate is paying close attention to his confession, “When I left she was mad at me for about a month and then she understood it was for the better. Ben still calls me Dad and asks me to come back to them on every single call. It’s been hard for him, but I try to be as present in his life as I can. I visit him, well, I used to visit him once a month when I was back at Sioux Falls and we talk on the phone regularly as you’ve heard already…”

“But Dean, I don’t understand… if things with Lisa are clear… Why not to perform a paternity test? You should know, Dean. And so should Ben”

“I know, Babe, I know… It’s just that I want to hold on to the possibility of being his dad, to be able to cling onto the hope. I don’t think I could handle to find out that he is not really mine”

Cas takes his hands and they leave the coffee shop. Dean takes Cas to his house, opens the door for Castiel to get off, they lean side by side on the Impala and Dean asks, “Can I kiss you? I know it’s our first date and I wouldn’t want to scare you…” coy as usual, hot as hell.

Cas smiles back, ”Oh, you can kiss me alright, Dean. I don’t get scare easily”

They kiss soft and tender, no rush no tension. For a while the front lights of Cas’ restaurant shine on them and the mates’ single shaped silhouette is drawn across the parking lot.

After a while and when their hands begin to play on each other, Cas asks, “Wanna go upstairs, handsome?”

“On a first date? Are you that easy, Cas? Just a few kisses and you invite the guy over? I am shocked!” Dean teases, but pushes his erection into Cas’ leg.

“Yeah.. yeah..” Cas laughs and punches him in the shoulder while taking his house keys from the pocket, “I’m easy… easy like Sunday morning, sweetie”

Laughing they go upstairs; kissing on the ladder; losing their clothes as soon as they go through the door. They make love, sweet and thoughtfully, no rush, no anxieties. Even after a three days sex marathon they still crave for each other.

**

They sleep at Cas’, spooning and naked. They like the privacy they have there but they miss the company at breakfast time. They miss the family.

Just like every other day, Cas makes coffee while Dean uses whatever he finds in the fridge from their heat supplies. They sit facing each other and encourage the other to stay awake; in an early Sunday morning it’s not an easy task.

“Oh, Cas, I forgot to tell you yesterday. Got news from Sam but he wants to tell you himself”

“Ruby’s pregnant” Cas comes back automatically and he regrets saying it immediately.

“Wut? How do you know?”

But even when he loves Dean more than his own life he won’t betray Ruby’s confidence.

“Well, your boyfriend is very sharp-sighted, you know. Out of the blue she stops drinking wine at dinner, eats more salads, drinks tea and last but not least she rushes the wedding. Details, dear… details”

“Good for me that I don’t plan on cheating on you… you’d be on my neck in a second, Sherlock. Anyway, she just confirmed it yesterday and wants to celebrate going out for dinner next Saturday… can we make it?”

“Shit, Love. I got plans with the twins. I invited them to the restaurant’s terrace for pizzas on Saturday night. I have postponed our lunches for the past two weeks, I can’t cancel them again. I was actually going to invite you over”

“Shit, Baby. I need you there with me for the celebration party. But I also wanna meet your brothers. Uhm. What if we get all together? We could kill two birds with one stone…” Dean ventures. “I know it’s too much to ask but I could help with the pizzas, I make decent ones, you know? Should I check with Sam to see if they’re ok with it?, Or do you prefer to check with the twins first?”

“You done talking, Dean? I’ll check with the twins but I am pretty sure it’s gonna be alright with them… they are party people”

“Okay, I’ll call Sammy now” he’s anxious, both at his niece/nephew’s party and meeting the relatives. He looks for his phone and Cas handles it to him, patiently waiting for Dean to make the call while drinking his coffee, smiling into his mug.

“Morning, Sammy! I’m at Cas’ and I was telling him about next Saturday dinner party but he says he’s got plans with his brothers already, immovable”

“Dean… if you’ve dared to tell him the reason for the dinner, I swear…”

“Woha, easy tiger. Let me put you on speakers... Ok, no, I didn’t tell him anything but he already knew”

“Hey Sam, Dean’s right. I’ve noticed that in the past week she changed tiny details like skipping wine and coffee, she’s crankier; I observed and I knew. Congratulations, Sam. This is great news, man” he’s not lying just… skipping information, that’s all “We were just thinking that maybe you could all come to the restaurant’s roof for pizza, so we can celebrate baby Winchester and you can meet my brothers too”

“Sure, Cas. Sounds awesome. Just gimme a moment” They can hear Sam talking to Ruby, “It’s perfect. We’d like to keep the news among us, including Jo but we could tell your brothers we’re celebrating the wedding date. You cool with that?”

“Perfect, Sam! I’ll call my brothers in a while… Sunday’s are usually their sleepy day”

Dean turns off the speakers, “Okay, kiddo. Everything is set. I’ll have lunch with Tom and then I’ll head home. See ya later, bro!” he hangs up the phone.

Dean and Cas continue to have breakfast and then they shower together. They’re gonna spend the day apart and meet at Sam’s at night.

**

Sunday noon at Spago.

Dean announces himself with the host but before he can confirm with the list he hears Tom calling, Dean approaches and they hug. “Hi, Tom! Long time no see, man!” Dean is really fond of Tom, he’s a great guy, “Nice place you chose, man!” Dean says, uncomfortable with his suit for second day in a row.

“Long time no see indeed, jackass!” Tom grins, “How long it’s been? About five years? Yeah, the restaurant is kinda fancy but the food is great. Now, tell me, what brought you to sunny LA?”

They sit, chat for a while, order lunch. Tom finds out about Sam’s story and Dean past few years at Sioux Fall. Dean, on the other hand, learns about Tom’s successful career and his not so successful marriage. The food arrives and they enjoy it. Maybe it’s not Cas’ cooking but Dean could say it’s something else.

“Now, Dean, confess… why calling me now. What had happened, need my help or what? Speak, hombre!” Tom asks.

“Nothing in particular, Tom. I’ve been meaning to call you since I arrived to California, it’s just that a lot of things kept happening and I couldn’t find the time to call you” Dean says to ease his friend’s mind, “Remember Lisa? We lived together for a while… didn’t work, thou. We remained friends. Anyway, recently I met someone else” and Dean is struggling with how to tell his friend, not because he’s embarrassed to love Cas but it’s all so new and he doesn’t know how Tom is gonna react. “Well… his name is Castiel. He’s a restaurant owner and my mate”

Tome stares at him for a moment and Dean is sure he’s gonna leave him alone on the table and exit the restaurant. Only he doesn’t. “Wow, Dean… you mating? That’s something worth seeing. HA! An Omega I assume? Wow, Dean… I mean… Wow!”

“Yeah, I know… Weirder shit has happened. I called you because I need to ask you a question. Do you remember the track team road trip we had on senior year?”

“Man! That was a lifetime ago!... but still how could I forget it… especially the trip back home. You made us all really uncomfortable with the pheromones and weird smell… none of us had paid any attention to health class so we had no clue. Why? What’s with the field trip?”

“Yeah, it sucked big time. We were too young and we thought we’d have a lifetime before any of that happen to us… fuck my luck. Anyway, I think now I get what happened but before one more question, Tom”

“Yeah, sure, shoot! I wanna know what happened”

“Right… well… do you remember what happened at the bar, that last afternoon before heading back home?”

“Oh my Chuck, how could I ever forget? Greatest story of field trips ever! We were trying to make you come with us to the bus but you kept mumbling about some blue eyes you’ve spotted across the room and that had to wait for them. Not even the coach could make you come to the bus until the very last minute. You waited for those eyes as long as you could… and then the ride home was a nightmare with what I now understand was mating smell… but wait… you’ve just said that you’ve recently mated… how is that possible?”

“Aha, that’s the point. I think the person I locked eyes with that afternoon was Castiel himself. I’ve never forgotten those eyes, I kept on dreaming of them; then I met Cas and he told me his side of the story but before telling him anything I wanted to confirm that what I remember was correct”

“Let me see if I get this right. You found your mate at 17 and lived apart for what? Twelve years, without even realizing it?”

“Pretty much, yes. Now, let’s eat and tell me about your wife”

“What? Why you wanna talk about that bitch. Dean, I want to meet him”

**

A week went by and Dean and Castiel are with Char and Meg at the restaurant getting everything ready for the pizza party.

Charlie and Dean are in an apparent truce. They only speak when necessary and they avoid all the mutual glares. The day passes by really fast among Dean and Cas kisses and flour stains and chopped ingredients.

It’s always fun to work along Cas in the kitchen, it also feels natural.

Night shift is around the corner so Charlie and Meg go to their place to change into clean clothes and Dean and Cas go upstairs also to change but they take their time teasing each other and kissing like a lot.

“Do we have time, Love?” Cas asks rubbing his hard on against Dean’s.

“Shit, Babe. No if we want to be at the party _tonight_. We’ll have to wait till after the dinner” Dean says grabbing Cas’ face and kissing fiercely.

“You better stop, Dean… I need a shower now… Damn. You join me?” Castiel’s arousal is noticeable and Dean follows him into the bathroom, turns him around and Cas’ sees his green eyes getting darker. The smell is maddening and Castiel can’t hold it anymore. He presses Dean against the wall and they kiss as if they haven’t seen each other for weeks. They kiss long and desperately. “Dean, stop it please! If you’re not gonna fulfill the promises in your eyes, please stop!” Castiel moans but continues to return the kisses with the same eagerness as before.

“I said there was no time for _me_ … I never said there wasn’t time for _you_ , my love.” And with that Dean moves his kisses from Cas collarbone to his nipples and land in the navel. He looks up, enjoying the view of Cas’ chest coming up and down with heavy breathing, eyes squinting down, mouth open with anticipation. They lock eyes like they’ve done so many times before, like they want to do for all eternity… Dean continues his way down to Cas’ dick and takes it into his mouth. He devours it in a thrust and stays there for a moment, feeling the thickness, the warm of his mates’ shaft against his throat and he wishes they’d have the time.

Dean starts bobbling and using the tongue all around the head, licking the precome and shivering at the taste. Cas moans and whimpers, he feels his legs failing him and tries his best to find support on the wall behind him, way too happy with the treat to complain. It doesn’t take long for Dean to bring Cas to the edge…he uses fingers, tongue and mouth; cupping the Cas’ balls and squeezing to make him say his name… barely audible underneath the heavy breathing, the voice louder the closer he is to his limit. Suddenly the walls cannot hold him anymore… he finds anchor on the bathroom sink and grabs it tightly; his brain is liquid by now, Cas can’t think straight, he just feels; feels Dean’s warm mouth, Dean’s skilled tongue, Dean’s fingers inside him closing against his prostate and it’s all too much.

Cas comes inside Dean’s throat with a groan and a whimper and Dean’s name in a scream… all at the same time. Once Dean has him cleaned up still kneeled on the tiled floor Cas slowly slides onto the floor,. Cas ends up sit in front of Dean, grabs him in a hug and kisses him profoundly, tasting himself in his mate’s mouth and wishing they had more time to spare.

“Dean, Love, that was awesome… but what about you?”

“Don’t worry about me, Cas. I’m alright. Let’s take a shower… just… can we make it a little colder than usual?” the shower takes every sign of arousal from Dean; they towel, get dressed and go to the restaurant.

Char and Meg are already there, checking the reservations and organizing it all. The night is gonna be really slow, dammit, but at least Char will be able to come by the party at the roof. Cas and Dean go and get everything ready and start the fire.

Soon enough the Winchesters arrive with Jo and a few minutes later so do the twins. Dean realizes Cas was not playing word games when he said you couldn’t guess they’re twins at first sight, so different one from the other and still stick together like a wind and a kite.

Cas introduces his brothers. Sam… Ruby… Jo, they all shake hands and then it was turn for Dean.

“Brothers, this is Dean” Cas says with a proud and affectionate voice.

Dean smiles and shakes the taller blond guy’s hand, “Dean, this is Balthazar. He lived in London for six years and refuses to drop the accent… he thinks women will fall at his feet… none has just yet done it but he keeps on trying”

“Oh, please, Castiel; behave, lad. Dean, it’s a pleasure finally meeting you”, Balthazar returns Dean’s hand shake.

“Now, Dean, this is Gabriel” Cas tilts towards Gabe, “Be careful with him; he’ll probably glue your fingers to the table just because it’s funny or will give you a jolt with a buzzer in his hand because he’s such a child”

“Don’t mind Cassie, Dean. In the words of our most beloved Doctor ‘ _What’s the point of being grown up if we can’t be childish sometimes_ ’” Gabriel quotes his favorite science fiction character, “It’s good to know that you have such a high concept of your brother, kiddo; I love you too”, Dean just shakes his hands and laughs.

Cas stays close to Dean, arms entangled and leaning against each other. Cas continues, “Well, Gabriel, you know I love you but, truth be told, you are a prankster. I was just giving my mate a heads up”

Gabe punches Cas in the shoulder and Cas hits him back; all sided by a roll of Balthazar eyes at the display of childishness from his brothers, a normal display of brotherly affection among the three siblings. The kind of behavior the Winchesters, including Jo, are used to, but that Dean has never seen Cas being part of. He’s happy that Cas can have his brothers close. Just when he thinks he can’t love Cas more…

“Cas… I think the fire is ready… go and start the pizzas… it’s time for the  _big-brother-talk_  to this guy so back off… get out, kiddo… shu shu” Gabe says, and Cas reluctantly leaves Dean side, looking at Sam for help but the big dorky guy is having too much fun seeing his big brother go through the ordeal of meeting the in-laws so he just shrugs and laughs.

Baz and Gabe put their arms around Dean’s shoulders, one at each side and in secretive voices they say, “As usual, if you hurt him, we’ll hurt you” Balthazar begins, always practical and direct. 

“No, no, no, no… you’re making it sound like he’s gonna be punched and that’s not funny. Don’t give Winchester here so much hope. .. No, sir. You will be punished  _the prankster style_  and I can promise you it’ll be horrible. So you better think about it before you try and hurt Cassie” and funny or not, that sounded like the real threat.

Dean smiles at them, if him hurting Cas is the only thing this guys are worried about, Dean is safe.

“Well, Twins, relax. I’ll never try to hurt or leave Castiel so I’m not worried. We’re on the same page, guys; if anyone… and I mean  _anyone_ , try and hurt my mate… heaven help him.” And Dean thinks they understand he’s talking about their elder brothers.

“Well, it seems we’re gonna be friends, after all” Balthazar pats Dean in the back and goes mingle with the rest.

Gabe winks at Dean and asks, “Man! Who’s that blonde… good boy, Dean… play nice with Cassie, I have something to do now?” he says without parting his sight from Jo, petting Dean’s back.

“Hey! That’s my sister, dude!” Dean yells making Gabe turn his head over his shoulder for a second.

“Says the guy banging my baby brother… Sweet, Dean-o… sweet” Gabriel says winking at him and heading towards Jo… the little fucker.

They sit at the table and enjoy the pizzas. Dean and Castiel moving around each other like only an old couple, making Charlie wonder whether she is right about this guy… or could it be she’s been trying to destroy her friend’s love life for nothing? Shit. Shit. Shit. Crap.

  
Jo grins at Castiel from time to time but otherwise she’s focused in Gabe in and the best ways to seduce him. Flirting and laughing at the guy’s jokes, he’s not even forcing his charms…

Jo likes him… but she’s not quite sure about the shorter Novak twin. She thinks that maybe being a Novak has something to do with it; but again, he makes her laugh and she feels comfortable around him, it’s not something you can't say about most of the guys she’s dated.

  
By the end of the night they exchange phone numbers and, having mingled with the others, Gabe texts her from the other side of the table while Baz chastises him for being rude by using his phone in a family party. Like Gabe cares… right.

She laughs a bit too hard at the naughty messages she starts receiving and Sam asks her, “Is everything alright, Joanna Beth?” with a smirk of an older brother who can’t be deceived.

“Oh Yes, just a friend… he keeps sending me these WhatsApp’s and making me laugh” she blushes.

“Well well… I’d like to chat with THAT friend” Says Gabe, “I will have a chat with THAT friend because he needs to stop stealing my girl”

“Nobody can steal what’s not yours… yet” she smirks.

“We’ll see, girl… we’ll see” Gabe replies smiling even wider than Jo.


	23. She's A Dream

_Way more than able, what kinda girl should I take her for?_  
The perfect kind, just what I like  
Exactly what I had in my mind, a dream, she's a dream

 

 

Saturday is over and both Winchesters and Novaks survived the family dinner clash- well, more like a picnic actually- and everybody relaxed. Dean and Cas are happier than ever because, with all the siblings that matter on board with their relationship, they can focus on their partnership without having to fight for it.

It was fun; they were loud and laughed a lot, ate more and drank for a lifetime. It was the perfect Winchester style evening.

“Whaddup with your brother and Jo, Cas?” Dean distractedly says while they are cleaning up the terrace.

“Don’t worry, he’s a puppy” Cas dismisses, “He was just trying to be nice to your sister” ‘ _Although it wouldn’t hurt us if she finds him interesting_ ’ is what Cas actually means.

**                             

It’s Tuesday, Jo and Gabe can’t stop texting. They flirt in every possible way. Jo’s still reticent because she ponders on what would happen to all her plans to pull Dean apart from Cas if she has anything with Gabriel… but she really really likes the guy. He makes her laugh like nobody else has done in very long time; Gabriel Novak is funny to an extreme. And gorgeous… -did she mention he is really handsome?- And he’s about the perfect height for her. His eyes are bright and vibrant; they just spark the right amount of joy and they always seem to say more than his mouth. And yes, she’s only seen him once. The fact that the guy makes her laugh turns her on more than anything else about him or, just for the records, about anyone. Oh, she’s still mad at Dean but this Gabe is a fine diversion to relax a bit.

Her phone buzzes.

« **Hey beauty, will you go out with me this week end?** »

Jo dwells on the answer for a while and replies.

« **I’m not sure you can handle me, Gabe** »

The response comes quickly.

« **Oh, sweetie pie, I’m sure I can handle all the 4 feet of you** »

Jo grins and smiles, teasingly replying.

« **Mr. Novak. I may be 4 feet but so are you… Hope not everything in you is as short** »

She laughs and hits send. -And no, her mother’s angry look never crossed her mind, not at all.-

«Miss  **Harvelle, if you are that eager to know, meet me for lunch** »

Jo laughs out loud and blushes because she does want to know.

« **You know I can’t, Gabe** »

He replies.

« **No, Jo, I don’t. I can’t imagine why you keep saying no. I like you and I know you like me back** »

She can’t tell him why, at least not now; and because she needs to shut him up, she answers.

« **You win. Thursday 7PM Winchester Manor. I’ll wear a really short skirt, a deep cleavage and high hills. If you can handle me like that, you’ve got my permission to take me to dinner and dancing** »

Gabe’s reply takes longer than expected and for a split second she thinks she screwed it. The phone buzzes again.

« **I can handle every inch of that beautiful body, regardless of what’s wrapping it, pumpkin pie. It’s a date. You win** »

**

It’s Wednesday and everything and everyone is calm at the Wincherster house. Well, everyone but the Lady of the house. She’s been running from place to place, like she’s twelve all over again. Sam is not happy about it and Ruby knows it. Not only can she see it written all over his face but also on his thoughts, he’s thinking of the best way to let her know without upsetting his Baby’s mom.

She smiles at him and cupping his face she says, “Oh, my Sammy… always so thoughtful, but honey, hey… I’m okay. You don’t have to worry so much. I’m pregnant not ill”

Shit, Sam will never get used to the fact that she can actually read minds… he wonders if her uncle can read minds too and therefore the success of his firm. Ruby laughs so hard she bends in two, “Oh, no!! I am definitely  _NOT_  telling…” Sam huffs a laugh but he really hopes she is true and doesn’t read his mind very often.

“Rubs, I know you’re not ill, but still… you need to chill out a little. You’re in the first trimester and have to take more precautions, at least for a few months… just go easier; I’m sure Howard would take some of your cases if you ask him to… and Kevin could help him, he’s good. It’ll be just for a few months. You know you have to relax and sleep more. Baby, please… take care of yourself, of our Baby…”

“Oh honey, Okay… Okay, I promise I’ll sleep more and take longer baths, I could probably linger a little more in the mornings” Ruby teases with a wink, “I’ll be alright, Sammy.  _WE_  are gonna be alright” she remarks with her hand on her tummy, “Wanna come to the  _OBGYN_  appointment today? It’s downstairs from your office”

“Try to stop me” Sam leans to kiss her.

She kisses back, a fast peck on the lips and she runs out the door, attaché in hand. Sam smiles … His fiancée is an impossible case, but he loves her.

**

Ruby’s appointment with her doctor is at the Cedars Sinai. Sam works there so they know it’s a really good hospital; and, as a bonus, Sam can be there on time… probably… almost… well, points for effort.

The Doctor seems pretty nice and warm. She smiles at Ruby and waits for Sam to run from the left wing of the Hospital to the right one. He enters the consult panting for air… making him think when was the last time he went jogging in the morning.

“I’m sorry. Doctor, Code Blue… we made it, fortunately … Hi, honey” Sam says kissing Ruby’s cheek.

“It’s okay, Doctor Winchester. I’m Doctor Olivia Hart… good to finally meet you, I’m new here and I’ll be your OBGYN from now on and, hopefully, the reference to any question you may have. Now, let’s see. First things first” Olivia takes a bunch of papers from the desk, “Here are the instructions, Ruby. The well-known five points star of pregnancy: No caffeine. No alcohol. Healthy-eating. No wild exercise… you can eat everything but with a measure and you could probably run a bit or bike or do some mild cardio. And then we have the point number one: sexual intercourse”

Sam flushes red and Ruby has to hide a smile to avoid embarrassing her boyfriend, he’s an awesome doctor but first of all he’s a man… so…

“Having sex is not gonna hurt your baby” the doctor patiently addresses, “And no, knotting won’t hurt your son either, you can’t reach him from there”

Sam folds his arms in front of his chest and shrugs “I knew that… I’m a Doctor, for Christ’ sake” he plays a bit offended when I reality he’s relieved he won’t have to bring the question himself. He tries to play cool and not to give himself away by showing how dumb he feels.

“I know, Doctor Winchester… I did not mean you don’t… it’s just that I need to cover every single aspect of this… just like I do with every new parent-to-be” she apologizes because she knows better and he’s not the first Doctor to ask silly questions to an OBGYN when expecting his first child, “As I was saying, having sex is actually good for the baby, he can feel the love his parents show each other… it’s healthy for him. Ruby, what is it that you do, again?”

“She’s a lawyer and works over 50 hours a week. Part of it at home but she still does” Sam replies before Ruby can lie, looking meaningly at the doctor to see if she is with him.

“I see… Well, Ruby, fifty hours a week is unacceptable. I’m tempted to say thirty hours is good but I know you won’t comply and I need you to be as honest with me as possible. Let’s settle this in forty hours a week and no more than that” the doctor says, smiling but with a firm tone of voice, “Doctor’s orders. Do you need a prescription?”

“She works at her family firm, she can manage it, Doctor” Sam informs.

“You both realize I am right here, right?” Ruby huffs a laugh.

“Oh, baby, I’m sorry”, Sam kisses her temple.

“Let’s do something, I’ll cut my hours to something between 30 and 40” Ruby tells the Doctor, “and I have already stopped the caffeine and the alcohol. We eat rabbit food every day because that’s what my fiancé likes best and his brother-in-law is a chef… we rarely eat junk food really”

“Good. These are the prescriptions for prenatal vitamins and some pills you need to take and these are the instructions. Here’s another one for a cream to prevent striations. The list of blood tests and an intrauterine ultrasound… you can perform them since you’re within the first weeks. Take these prescriptions, go to the third floor and get the ultrasound done now, then you’ll have to fasting for 8 hours before performing the blood test. The ultrasound will tell us how the baby’s doing and the blood test will talk about Mommy. Now go; go and hear your baby’s heartbeats.” The Doctor says.

The ultrasound waiting area is packed but, being Sam a resident and a Meta, they get next in line.

“Well, mom and dad, let’s hear our baby. This is gonna probably feel a little unpleasant. Spread your legs and relax, please. Good, now… let’s see, you’re in the fourth week, Ruby … here, this spot? You see it?” the tech points at a white part of the screen, “Look! See how fast it’s moving? That’s your baby’s heart… you wanna hear it?” of course they do, so she turns the volume on and the sound coming out of the speakers makes Ruby’s and Sam’s eyes water and in a second they are both crying, holding hands and smiling. “This is the moment where we’re gonna take Baby W’s first picture” she winks at Ruby, “Wanna get some copies? Just joking, of course you’ll get copies, mom!”

She sets the program and says, “Now, Ruby, stay as still as you can, I know it’s not comfortable but I promise I’ll do it real quick”, they don’t say anything… she can take as long as she wants… they are just thrilled to see the image of their kid on the screen, “Do you realize how lucky we are to hear the baby’s heart so soon? Before The Change the heart would only develop around the sixth week”… yeah, Sam knows that but all they can think is that they could spend a lifetime there, just watching the screen and listening to Baby Winchester’s heart beats. They’ve never been happier.

**

Castiel is going through The Angel’s Pit books and there is no way this is good. They still got too many expenses to cover and, even though the delivery is good, the nights the restaurant itself is open only by reservation are too slow; only on Saturdays it gets a little busier but not that much to make a real difference.

Cas does not believe in cutting people’s pay checks because the restaurant is not doing very well; unfortunately at this pace he’ll have to fire someone and that possibility only causes him to reach a peak of stress he’s never felt before.

“Char, can you come over for a moment, please?” He calls from the office door.

“What is it, Castiel?” she comes into the office.

“Look, Char… this is not going very well… I don’t know what to do, if this continues there would be no option but to start firing people… I am thinking of getting a new bank loan…” Castiel says handling the book to Char.

She goes through it for a minute, closes it and tosses it on the desk. She takes a seat and looks straight into Cas’ eyes, “No way, Cas. You know doing that would only raise our tax rates and get down our credit scores. We have to find a different solution… there’s gotta be something we can do!”

“I know, Char, I know… but as you can see we’ve got nothing…” he takes his head with his hands and they both stay silent for a while. “I’m going home now… keep on watching the books is not gonna solve anything; it’s Thursday and Dean is waiting for me”

Char gets up and leaves without saying a word… ‘ _God, will this ever stop_ ’ Thinks Cas while going out.

Back at home the four of them sit for dinner and share their day. Obviously the first topic is Baby W, and it’s the happiest topic ever. They laugh at the fact that Sam, big boy Meta doctor as he is, was relieved to know that his sex life is not gonna be put on hold for almost five months. Ruby talks about her expectations and wishes Ellen was here to help. It’s odd to realize she thought of Ellen as the person to be closer to her instead of her own mother or sister. This Winchester family is already her own.

When they move to a different topic Castiel loses interest in the conversation and withdraws to his own thoughts and Dean senses it.

“Hey, Cas… what is it, buddy?”

“Nothing, Dean… it’s just that… nothing, forget it, business issues, that’s all”

“What d’you mean ‘ _that’s all’_ , Cas?” Ruby intervenes, “Anything going on with your restaurant is important, you’ve hired me for counseling also, remember? And more to it, we’re family so… spill it, boy!”

“We’ve come to a point where we’ll have to decide whether pay the bills or keep all the staff… so if I can’t get a bank loan I’ll have to fire someone” and that’s it… saying it out loud makes it official and he can’t eat his salad anymore. Not even Dean’s hand on his forearm makes him feel any better.

Sam throws his napkin on the table, “Cas, why are you so stubborn? You know what would happen to your credit scores and the tax rates. We’ve discussed this already, Cas, I can lend you the money and you’d pay me back whenever you can. Stop being such an obstinate arrogant and accept the help from your family” this is the closest to being upset that Cas has seen Sam.

Castiel can’t look at them on the face, he’s been independent and needed no help with his business since like… ever; he feels this is a step back but, actually, it wouldn’t be a bad idea. - if he can make them come to the right terms.-

When he looks up three pairs of eyes are fixed on him. He clears his throat and says, “I’ll have to talk to Charlie. We may -just _may_ \- accept a loan from you, Sam, but with bank rates and papers. My lawyer can take care of that.” He says pointing at Ruby.

**

After dinner the two couples linger in the living room, Ruby and Sam watching TV and Dean and Cas browsing Ben’s emails and saving all the pictures to the hard drive.

Jo goes down the stairs and Sam gives her his best  _go-change-clothes-put-anything-on-but-that_  look but he knows better than saying it out loud because that would only encourage her to do it worse and she’s a grown up girl anyway… still… still Ruby plants her elbow on his ribs and he focuses on the TV again. Dean grunts his disapproval but sincerely thanks the Lord that Ellen cannot see her or he would be in trouble, and Cas blushes at the sight of Jo and her almost-non-dress.

“Gosh, such prudes!” Ruby laughs, “Jo, you’re a sight, let me look at you… WOOOOOOW where you’re going, girl! No wait, more important… _Who’s the victim_?!”

Jo is wearing, so to speak, a really short black skirt and an electric blue open blouse and hills… really _really_  high pumps. Her hairdo is curly in the right places and her makeup makes her look even sexier. “Well, I know  _who_  he is but you’ll have to tell  _them_  yourself or they’ll bugger me all night about it…” she tells her in a whisper, giggling.

“Where do you think you’re going, Jo?” Sam intervenes when the doorbell rings.

“Well, brother, you’re about to find out ‘ _the who_ ’. I can’t tell you ‘ _where_ ’ because I don’t have any idea. Now… which one of my two favorite cavemen will do the honors?” Jo looks at Sam and Dean but the elder shakes his head unapprovingly and goes back to his computer.

Sam opens the door and lets Gabe in.

“Hiya Sammy boy! Ohhhhhhhh WOOOOOOWWWWW, shitshitshitshitshit, Jo… you’re… you’re… like… _shit_ , Jo. You are a little taller than me” Gabriel’s eyes say different things, other than just a concern for the height difference. He goes to her and tip toes to kiss her cheek. Gabriel then turns to the three shocked men (and Ruby) in the room and looks at them with a grin, “Hello little bro… Dean… Samsquatch… Ruby. Boys, c’mon… could you please close your mouths? Good, that’s better! I promise to bring this girl safe and sound after dinner and dancing.  _NO sleepovers today_ … shall we go, sweetheart?” Gabe leads Jo out of the house and into his car.

Ruby closes the door and when she turns back she finds the three men looking at her, two of them really upset. “Oh no. NoNoNoNoNoNo. She told me nothing but, c’mon guys, I am not blind. Cas you told Sam you knew I was pregnant because of the little changes in my routine… well, I knew this for the same reason.” She takes seat and continues, “She texts a lot, giggles at her phone. Every time Cas mentions Gabe she looks up and hides a smirk. She’s even forgotten she’s not talking to you and is every day less inclined to bother you. Come on, Cas, you have to tell me you did notice that” Says Ruby.

“Of course I did find it odd that she’s talking to me more and more and that she’s backing off a little bit but I assumed it was just her coming to terms with us being mates”

“Well… wrong, honey. The only terms she wants to come to are in your brother’s pants” the boys grunt in disgust and Ruby laughs harder.

“Oh girl, that’s a picture I could have lived without” Castiel makes a face.

“Oh this is gonna be so good” Ruby says to herself.

Sam and Dean look at each other, roll their eyes and look away, uncomfortable with everything that has just happened. This is gonna be so bad.

**

Jo is having a great time. She’s amused and frighten at the same time. Gabriel may not be tall but he talks big and acts with such a confidence that makes Jo like him even more. He takes her to a very fancy restaurant, modern and next to the beach.

They get a table by a window with a beautiful view of the ocean and start talking about anything and everything. The food is amazing but if you’d ask Jo she probably won’t remember.

“Princess, would you wanna go dancing or would you rather do something else? No sleepovers, I have promised those Neanderthal brothers of yours that much… well, I can keep my part of the bargain but I can’t make promises on your behalf” Gabriel smiles with his eyes and Jo loses herself in them.

Jo laughs, “No sleepover today, of course. Any other promise would be too soon to make”

“Then, gorgeous, wanna drink some coffee, eat breakfast…  _me_  or go dancing?” says Gabe.

“All of the above, but in a different order; I prefer coffee and dessert last… the exercise makes me hungry” Jo winks.

“O…key. Sexy lady, you’re officially killing me. Let’s go dancing. Zanzibar is right around the corner or would you prefer going all the way down to LA?”

“Zanzibar it’s OK, Gabe. Just take me there”

They go to the club, have a drink… or four in Jo’s case. Gabe has only one big rainbow colored drink, trying to keep it slow to drive afterwards. He bets the Winchesters would kill him should he’d endanger their baby sister (and he wouldn’t blame them).

They dance a lot, touch more and they night goes by in the blink of an eye. “Time to return to the Manor, my lady”

“Why? Noooooo… I’m having a blast!” She’s a bit tipsy… alright, a lot, “and you promised eating… a lot of eating” she makes a pout and grabs him by the shirt, “Come on sweet boy, kiss me and then you can take me home”

“Hey hey hey, I can be a prankster but I am not gonna take advantage of a lady, no matter how drunk she is” Gabe tries to keep her away from his lips.

“I’m not drunk and I’m definitely not a lady” and she kisses him, and Gabe can’t help but kiss her back… he’s been thinking of doing it all night. The kiss is awkward and mirthful. Gabe cannot resist and holds Jo closer and kisses her deeply for a few seconds and they split. “I’ve just kissed you, now let’s go home”

Despite her complaints, Gabe takes her to the Winchester’s. Leads her to the door, opens it for her and kisses her again on the lips; just a butterfly touch but a promise for so much more.

**

“Look, Charlie, I know you don’t like Dean; but we are talking about his brother now. I don’t see any other option; right now… we’re screwed big time. Do you see any other solution? Because if you do, I’m really willing to try it” Says Castiel.

Char knows there is no other option. Any other solutions they have considered are bad, but this one ties them more and more to the Winchester brothers, there is a commitment implied, not to Dean himself, but to his family. Either way she hates it but she hates more not finding any other possibility.

“I guess you’re right, Castiel. But it’s a loan; there’s gotta be paperwork and it should be legal. It’s okay if it helps not to screw our score and rates but it’s a loan and I intend to return it” her words final.

“Trust me, Char; I feel exactly the same. I told Sam already, if we agree with it, the loan has to have bank rates and Ruby will make all the paperwork for us”

It occurs to Cas that this is the kind of things family do to help one of its members and with that the Winchesters get closer to Castiel a little more. He wonders if his own family would ever do anything as selfless as this. He knows the answer.

**

Life is good, Dean thinks while helping one of the mechanics to fix a car.

This is not his regular job; as a manager he does a lot more of paperwork than actual mechanic stuff but he enjoys working with cars, getting all greasy and tuning up engines… that sort of job give him real pleasure. So he really appreciates this moment. The kid is new and he has to supervise his work a little closer than usual and ends up teaching him a thing or two.

It’s just close to noon and he loves working in the garage but, even when he has tons of paperwork and supervising to do his mind continues to wander towards his mate; he’s counting the hours to see him again. Knowing that he’s gonna be there when he arrives home gives him the certainty of domesticity he had craved his whole life without knowing.

Dean knows tonight it’s Cas turn to make dinner, because he had a morning shift and looks forward to spend time with him cooking and talking. He hopes it’s burger day or at least pie day.

Dean keeps on daydreaming while he fixes the car and whistles.

**

Cas knows cooking dinner is time for bonding with Dean but tonight he wants to do something special and has to start early or they’ll end up having dinner too late.

Bread is in the oven and Cas is covered in flour. Today is gonna be a proper homemade dinner. Bread goes first, than the pie… of course there has to be pie, tonight it’s chocolate raspberry fudge with ice cream. He’s currently making the lime ice cream.

Afterwards he’s gonna prepare a fresh salad as a starter and for the entrée it’ll be blue cheese filled flank steak pork and a side of creamed potatoes. It’s a big meal, Cas is aware of it, but it’s Friday night and he wants to show his family a little loving. Because, you know, he’s been pretty sure for a while but now he’s certain: this crazy people is his family, despite of how hard Charlie may kick or cry, no matter how peevishly Jo may look at him or whatever she says to make him feel uncomfortable, this is Castiel’s family for the time being and forever.

Ruby enters the kitchen humming a tune and interrupts Castiel’s train of thought, “Hi, sis!”

“Hello there, Cassie. How are you?” Ruby greets back and opens the fridge out of habit, she’s not really hungry. She’s been coming and going all day and she still hasn’t finished.

“Good, as you can see I’m cooking… Rubs, could you please stop running and have a tea?” Cas asks her.

“I wish everybody would stop bugging me about the same thing. I am not ill, Cas, I am just pregnant!... Anyway, I’ll have a tea and something to eat, if you have anything ready”

“I don’t but I can have cookies ready in a few minutes, if you’re willing to wait for them” Cas goes to the freezer and takes something out, “and nobody thinks you’re ill, Rubs, we just want you to take it easy… Doctor’s orders, remember? I do know you started really early today, way before breakfast”

“You’re right. I’ll print some files while you’re being a dear and make me tea and something to eat and we’ll have a BM, ok?”

“A bowel movement?” Cas looks at her confused.

“Ha ha ha! No, Cas, _boys_   _melodrama_ , but that was good” she goes out to print her pages laughing out loud.

A few minutes later she comes back, shoes off-slippers on and hair in a tail; just as comfortable as you can be at home without being in a night gown, “Well, Cassie… I’m all yours. What are we preparing?”

“I am preparing dinner, and you are chatting with me and having tea and waiting five minutes for the cookies on the oven to be ready” Cas checks the cookies and are almost done, “Now, I have a question and you don’t have to answer but … it’s kinda important for me. Please, tell me… How does it feel? I wanna… you know… maybe one day… perhaps Dean would agree to…”

“It feels odd, good odd. It’s just that knowing that there is something… someone growing inside you it’s weird and awesome at the same time. Your body changes every day but it’s also the same; it’s knowing that this is the last time in your life that you’ll be doing something alone. The morning sickness has not shown yet but still if it does I wouldn’t mind. The only thing is the fear… fear of doing something wrong; everything I eat or drink is given a second thought, every move is calculated towards not harming the baby. You all think I act like I don’t care but actually I am fucking terrified, Cassie”

Castiel smiles at her and goes to hug her tight, he’s an Omega but he can relate. “You know you don’t have to go through it on your own, right? You have Sam, of course, but you also have us and Jo. And if you don’t rely on me how will I rely on you one day if this happens to me?”

“Oh but, Cas! I’ll be there for you from day one! I love you so much, hun, and I am your friend… NO, we’re family, brother.” She blows a kiss to him, “I think that the moment we both mated the Winchesters we knew that being an individual was over for us, when it comes to love life. The rest may not understand but we two do. We’re stuck together in this family and I really thank Chuck that I got you to be stuck with”

“Well, Rubs, apart from the fact that you make me blush you know I feel exactly the same, I love you too, girl. And I am thrilled to be part of the Winchester pack… but I have a question, though. I’ve been thinking lately about the law. A friend of mine reminded me of the 30 years old rule. My brothers got away with not forming a family because of the money and influence but I have none, and you know Dean is almost thirty this year in a few months… I’m scared” his eyes suddenly watery, “What if that is the reason he’s with me? What if he only sees me as an Omega to breed? What if he gets sick of me and leaves me used and pregnant? What if…” Cas rumbles but can’t help it.

“Cassie… hey, buddy, hey… Is it you talking or Charlie? Do you really feel and smell in Dean any trace of those things? Do you really think he would ever leave you?” Ruby tries to make him understand.

“No, of course not. My heart and soul say NO; that he’s my mate and he loves me and we will be together forever. My skin and all my senses scream that he loves me. His smell is meant only for me, just me; his taste it’s just mine… and still there is a small part of my brain that says ‘ _you’re just an Omega, only good to be knocked up and stay pregnant and barefoot_ ’. That’s the part of me that says that I’m useless and unworthy of such a perfect Alpha” he says without lifting his eyes, always looking at the floor. He just can’t look at Ruby in the eyes.

“Cassie, look at me… c’mon buddy, look at me, please! You are a perfect human being. You are more and beyond your designation. You are not only intelligent, smart, witty, self-confident… you also run a business on your own! You’re successful without any help from your brothers. Why in the world wouldn’t Dean want you?”

She takes his hand and makes him take a seat next to her, “Look at me, for example, I am nothing more than a freaking Beta… I have nothing to offer. Yes, I am a lawyer and my family has influences, my uncles’ firm is one of the biggest on the West Coast but  _ME_ , as a person… when it comes to designation… I got nothing to offer. And now look at Sam, he’s deeply madly in love with me and I’d give anything for him. Why would you be any less?” she smiles kindly, “I’ve seen Dean looking at you like you are an Angel of the Lord living among mortals; I can assure you he would never think any less of you, he loves you like I’ve never seen any man love another before. The way he looks at you is the same way Sammy looks at me when he thinks I’m not watching… well, I may not be actually watching but I sense what he feels and that’s love, Cas. Just like Dean loves you. So, please… stop pitying yourself, you’ve got a mate that loves you more every day… relax, Cassie” she cups his cheek and smiles sweetly.

And of course Ruby is a hugger so they hug and Cas doesn’t mind. The tension diminishes.

“OH CHUCK the bread!... Girl, need a hand… be a dear and peel the potatoes”

“On it, chef!” she salutes, puts the apron on and gets on it for real.

They continue cooking, teasing and laughing. They are a good team. They are about to finish when the two boys enter within a difference of minutes and they stay looking at their mates with love and pride… they look at each other and look away instantly… they are so doomed. The domesticity in the air is so perfect that anyone witnessing it would think the two couples have been together for years.

“Stop staring, Dean… it’s creepy” says Ruby without looking back from the counter.

“Hi, Love”, Cas says blushing instantly at the realization of the nickname that he has never used outside their bedroom.

“Hi, Babe. I thought we were to cook together tonight, but this smells so good I don’t mind” Dean says not even noticing the nickname. Having fun you two?

Cas gets closer and kisses Dean with a small chaste kiss, just for the comfort of feeling Dean’s heat.

“Fun? A lot! She’s a witch! She knows everything about everyone! Sometimes I think she can read minds… can you imagine? So, no pie for Ruru today” Cas says laughing against Dean’s mouth.

Cas looks so happy and comfortable in the house and around his sister-in-law that Dean can’t help but gasp. How awesome and frightening is that? A warm feeling grows inside Dean’s chest… he knows now that this is exactly what he wants for the rest of his life.

He wants a family and a life with Cas. For good. He will be Cas’ lover for all eternity and he knows that, if Cas really cares for him he will be there forever too; no matter what. He’s doomed but there is not a single thing he would change. He knows now he’ll have to do something about it sooner or later.

“Ruru?” Sam speaks just when Cas throws an apron to Ruby and she’s trying to hit him with a wooden spoon all sided by Dean’s I-am-happier-than-I’ve-ever-been-in-my-fucking-life-please-let-this-be-for-ever face.

“Hey, Sam! Yes, Ruru… it’s your fiancée witch name. Ruby is a demon name… a lawyer name… oh nonono, she’s Ruru now… RURUUUU!!” They both laughing until they cry. Obviously sharing something the brothers don’t get.

Sammy does not know what’s with their mates but he approaches to his amazed brother and whispers only for him to hear, “We can be happy, Dean. I know we can… look at this scene… the only thing this would become more perfect is with a ring on your finger and the Alpha police out of your back” and pats his brother on the back.

“Soon, Sammy… I promise. That’s if he says yes, of course. But first _you_ have to get married and get the police out of _your_ back. Then we’ll think about Cas and me.

Sam puts an end to the mess in the kitchen, “I’m starving, is food ready? That smells awesome!” Cas and Ruby look at each other and burst in laughing again.

“It’ll be in twenty minutes but I think Ruru and I need a change of clothes and the kitchen could use a good sweep... Sally is busy in the dinner room” Cas says looking at himself and the kitchen floor, “Could you handle the oven, Dean? The one on top is set to buzz in about twelve minutes, potatoes… check if they’re soft and tender. On the other there’s pork, just check if it’s light golden brown. Sammy would you please please please sweep the floor? I owe you. C’mon, Ruru, let’s go make ourselves presentable”, the brothers smile and obey and dismiss Sally when she tries to take the broom from Sam.

Sally sets the dinner table beautifully. The salad is the perfect combination of sweet and sour and they are about to finish the pork and potatoes.

“Cas, let me tell you this dish has a million calories… and I love each one of them. Man, this is better than chocolate pie… almost as good as sex” says Sammy.

“Sam… nothing’s better than sex” Ruby replies with a bitch face worth copyrighting.

“That’s why I said ‘ _almost’_ , Baby…” Sam smirks.

“Nothing is better than pie or sex… well… maybe pie and sex… but your cooking, Babe, is almost there” Dean leans to kiss Cas on the temple and Cas glows.

Sally clears the table and brings the pie, “No pie for Ruru” Cas teases.

“You really like to live dangerously, Cas… Raspberry chocolate is my favorite; I would have pie even if I have to kill you to get a piece of that beauty” Ruby threatens.

The conversation flows towards the hospital, “I got a few new cases this week. Most of them not terminal for a change, which is refreshing but I got also a kid with leukemia; a very rare type of leukemia. Most of the patients die within a year and he’s in his eleventh month. He’s doing better than any other I’ve seen but you can see in his eyes that he knows he’s dying. That’s the worst part of it all, he’s full of energy, full of life.” For a moment he gets lost in his own thoughts but then he says, “but, hey! I don’t wanna spoil the mood. Cas, this pie is awesome. This HAS to be in the wedding catering”

“Yes, Sam. It’ll be one of the pies”

The dinner continues smoothly, familiar as soup, easy like old couples; simply perfect.

 


	24. Straight Through My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patinesa is back!!

_Hear the sound of a love so loud_  
_I just can't, I just can't ignore this feeling_  
_Said she missed me and she wants me, wants me tonight  
_

 

Monday morning. Does anyone in the world like Monday mornings? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Even at the Cedars-Sinai, staff and patients are crankier than usual. It’s the busiest day of the week, patients with appointments crowded in the waiting area, not enough seats, children running or crying… sometimes doing both. Nurses, charts in hand, coming and going and doctors checking their schedules; ER is a mess and every single phone is ringing. All in all just a regular Monday morning.

Monday mornings on the oncology ward are different too, but the other way around. Over the weekend the rush of friends and relatives visiting the patients makes it more tolerable to be around but on Mondays it’s so calm and lonely it’s hard not to feel the despair of terminal patients and even the ones on recovery are sad. Obviously people have jobs to go to and family at home to take care of, they’ll come back at visiting hours but for the time being it’s all too damn deserted. It gives the patients time to think, time to worry and to feel the pain; both body and soul hurt at a point.

Realization of imminent death is the worst part.  

Sam arrives early because he likes to have time to do paperwork before and after his rounds. The thought of office work taking time from his patients doesn’t seem right to our favorite Meta Doctor. You can ask anyone in the Hospital and they’d tell you: Winchester is one of the few Doctors you can count on any time you need him. C’mon, ask… I dare you. Sam may not be perfect but he’s socially conscious and, in his opinion, being a Meta is not about the benefits he gets from his designation but the responsibility towards the society that gives him everything, from scholarship to housing and a very interesting bank account just because he got the golden ticket in the gender designation lottery.

So, time for floor rounds. No big changes anywhere; checking charts, chatting with the patients making sure they are properly taken care of. Old people, young people; rich and on welfare doesn’t matter, everyone is treated the same, especially the kids under Sam’s care. The only time a Meta tried to pull his strings to get more attention and effort from Sam was the only time the Doctor himself asserted his designation over someone. Nobody is more important than others in his ward.

Sam is a pediatric oncologist so all his patients are equally important to him. Everything is going as expected; most of the patients that were transferred or admitted lately are in several stages of non-terminal status and waiting for surgery or recovery from one. Everyone except for fourteen year-old Dylan.

The kid has acute  _lymphocytic leukemia_ , treatable with a 95% rate of remission. Unfortunately, Dylan is part of the 5% that it’s not. He’s been through four rounds of chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant and radiation… still no good. Part of the council came to the conclusion that being an Omega is the reason of all the complications. So many years after  _The Change_  they are still discovering new twists in different diseases, especially cancer since cells on Omegas are different; half of the Doctors think that they should blame it on Dylan’s rare blood type: he’s got  _Rh-null_  blood type which lacks any antigens. There’s only about a hundred people in the world that could give him blood or bone marrow, making it almost impossible to find a second compatible donor. All that considered, most probably it’s a combination of both conditions; all there is to do is wait. So Dylan waits in the ward. Sam knows there’s little to none to be done but to make him feel comfortable and safe, that’s his priority. So when his round is over Sam spends a little while with Dylan.

“Hey, kid. How you’re feeling today?” Sam enters the room and sits by the bed, angling the chair to face Dylan.

“Hello, Doctor W., I’m feeling good today. I haven’t been nauseated all day and look… my hair is growing back!” Dylan shows his head to Sam and the Doctor passes his hand over it.

“It tickles! Awesome, Dylan!” He high fives the kid smiling but crying internally at the sight of the boy’s face, the circle below his eyes are as dark as usual but the sight itself is more alive than ever.

“So… I got a few minutes to spare, what you wanna do? Maybe chat a bit? I got some fantastic gossips I heard at the nurse station… er… maybe not…you’re too young for that.” That makes the kid laugh. “Yeah, I didn’t think so… let’s see, uhm what’s this in my pocket? Hey!  Cards! Wanna play a game?”

“Yeah!” Dylan could have jumped of joy if he was strong enough… but he’s not. “A card game sounds fun. Do you play ‘ _War’_?” Dylan takes the cards and starts to shuffle. “Perhaps I should warn you, Doctor W.… I always win at  _War_ ” he says smiling to himself.

“Oh, really? Well, you haven’t played with me yet. I got an older brother and I  _always_  beat him at cards” Sam lies; he can’t remember the last time he won in a poker game. “How’s your mom?”

“Mom should come this afternoon after work, she can’t skip working hours… bills aren’t getting smaller, that much I know. People think I’m just a kid but I’m fourteen I know how this works.” He starts dealing the cards. “Plus, whenever she comes back from work she looks happier. Instead, when she has to spend all day long here, I can tell her eyes are sad even when she smiles and sings and reads to me.”

They put their first cards face up on the table, Dylan wins. “See? I told you.” The grin in the kid makes Sam’s heart hurt; he acts a pout and the boy laughs. But almost immediately he frowns: “I think adults are happier outside the hospital… I’d understand if she is happier staying out.”

“It’s not like that, Dylan. Your mom is very dedicated to you; she worries and is constantly asking me about you. Now, cheer up so when she gets here she can see her handsome little man smiling and being defeated at cards because, boy… I am winning.”

Dylan laughs harder. “No, you’re not!”

They continue to play cards in silence; Dylan thinking of his mom and Sam looking at the fourteen year-old kid with a mix of sadness and pride. Sam’s never seen a stronger or more confident child in his ward.

“You know I’m an Omega, right?” Dylan says out of the blue “I was told when I was six; I got sick and doctors had to run tests and there it was, I should be presenting anytime now if not for the cancer. My mom was told by the doctors that I should know and so she came to me and explained what it meant in medical terms. In the past years I found out more about my designation by talking with my friends and at school, but they don’t tell you much; a couple of months ago, though, I found this website that explained a lot about Omegas, Alphas and Meta Alphas. It said that I would have to mate.” Dylan pauses and Sam waits, the boy obviously needs to share it. “But there is something I don’t understand, is it true that I have to be shy and serve my Alpha? It also said that I will get pregnant because my Alpha will have sex with me and I’ll go into  _heats_ just like my mom had explained before?… I don’t understand… Why? I like girls… why would I let an Alpha impregnate me? And still, Doctor W, they describe the heats as something enjoyable. I know what sex is… I’m not five, but I’m afraid I’ll never experience all the web page describes, because… you know…” Sam is shocked at the level of acceptance of his own illness and the knowledge the kid is showing about his designation, even when there are a lot of things he still doesn’t quite understand.

Sam knows at this rate, the kid will never reach his eighteenth birthday and will never mate. Hell, he’ll probably not even reach his sixteenth. So Sam wants to help him understand himself better.

“I’m a MetaAlpha, you know? Obviously right now you can’t sense it because you’re still too young; but in a few years, at eighteen or if you find your mate earlier, you’ll be able to smell me. Metas, Alphas and Omegas smell the pheromones, only Betas do not have any particular smell.  All Omegas can sense and smell an Alpha, Meta or not.” Dylan is ruffling the cards again but seems to have lost any will to play; he’s paying attention to Sam.

“The Omega smell will tell the Alpha if he’s mated or if he’s in heat or has just had sex, whether he’s happy or sad, you’re gonna be an open book for the opposite gender designation; it’s the way nature tells you whether you are ready to procreate or not, it’s more animal instinct than human. Before  _The Change_  it was all a lottery.” Sam thinks for a second, struggling whether to tell the kid all the whole truth, but he knows the boy is already aware of the time he has left. “I know you’re worried because you think you won’t experience the kind of joy of finding your mate, but you know what, Dylan? Life sometimes surprises us. Anything can happen. You just wait and see. Now, about your question, even when books and Doctors tell you that Omegas have to be shy, barefoot and pregnant, that’s not a law, you can make the difference, you can be yourself.” The kid's eyes are bigger now, paying attention to what Sam has to say, seeing at last the light at the end of the tunnel.

“As a MetaAlpha myself, books tell me I must mate with an Omega, male or female, but life told me otherwise, life showed me that books can be wrong, because I found my mate in a Beta female. She’s awesome, fierce, strong and confident. She’s anything but shy and, I can promise you, she does not serve me, we are equals. My brother is an Alpha and he has an Omega male mate; and trust me, he is not shy at all and not definitely fulfills my brother’s every single wish. As an Omega you can make the world abide your own personality and wishes, you don’t have to follow the books to guide your life as a person; the only thing you can’t run from is the medical part of it. You probably will get pregnant if you don’t take proper precautions, you’ll get your heats for three days every month and, if you’re lucky you’ll find your mate before you’re thirty to share your life with and procreate but, if you don’t, the government will mate you with someone. But whatever it is that life brings, you’d mate. That doesn’t mean you have to change who you are to become slavish or forced to be shy.”

“Take Castiel, my brother’s mate, for instance; he has a business, he has lived alone for a long time, he’s confident and very intelligent. He’s all that and more, and the day he mated my brother they started living for each other, you know what he changed about himself?” The kid shakes his head. “ _Nothing_. He’s still the same guy my brother met and fell in love with. So, bottom line, Dylan, you can be whatever you want, you just need to remember who you are and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise, not even the people who love you.” Sam doesn’t want to scare the kid; he tried to keep the explanation simple but tried harder not to lie to him.

“OK, I have a lot of questions about it, is it okay if I ask you? I mean, my mom won’t answer most of my questions because she still thinks of me as a baby and my dad… well… I don’t think he’ll stay too long to answer any questions… I think they’re gonna split up, I’ve heard them fighting and he hasn’t visited me in like two weeks.” His voice cracked.

“Well, Dylan, as long as I can answer your questions I will, buddy.”

“What’s the heat like? I mean, not medically, but from a personal point of view. I wanna know how it feels.” Well… that… shit.

“Gee, Dylan, I don’t know. As a Meta I don’t have any idea of how a heat feels for Omegas, but I can explain it from an Alpha point of view. If your mom agrees” he says nodding at Dylan’s mother who’s just entering the room, “I could ask my brother-in-law to come over and explain it to you.”

“I would appreciate that a lot, Doctor” The kid’s mom intervenes. “Dylan’s dad is working in Riverside very long shifts so he can’t come home too often… we need to save money” Dylan's mom says.

Sam nods acknowledging the lie, the woman has just refer to the man of the house as the kid’s father instead of as her husband, but he says nothing about it, he totally understands she is protecting  her son and finds it right.

“I sure will, then. I was about to explain the heat to Dylan from the Alpha point of view.” Sam says in the form of asking for permission.

“Please, go ahead, Doctor, I’ll wait outside; you’re gonna be alright, honey?” Dylan nods and she leaves the room.

“Well then, buddy, it’s like this. A heat is a state of your body, you know Beta girls get periods, right? Right, so just like that. Your body once a month will raise your temperature about two degrees and you will have the need for sex, for a knot; you know what a knot is, right? Good. Your body then will emanate pheromones from every pore of your skin. These pheromones will turn your Alpha crazy for sex and you’ll be in the same state. It’s the way nature assures our breeding. That’s what  _The Change_  is about. Until you find your mate you can take suppressor pills to hide the pheromones.”

Dylan practically whispers so his mother won’t hear. “There’s one thing that worries me a lot. I’ve seen pictures of knots in the website I told you about and it looks like it’ll hurt a lot”.

“No, it won’t hurt because your body will be ready, but that’s a different question. As long as you take the suppressors and until you find your mate, your body temperature will be alright but it will make you a little sad and a little depressed because the heat is there but on a leash. On the Alpha side of things what we feel is urge, need, we can’t help but to want the Omega right that moment. The need is so strong that if his will is weak the Alpha won’t be able to control himself; and that’s the reason you’ll take suppressors since the day of your first heat till the day you mate. Suppressors will help permeate the  _Omega-in-heat_  smell so the Alphas won’t bother you, just like mated Alphas won’t feel the need because they are leashed to their own mates.”

“Ewww, that sounds awful! Like I won’t be able to think for myself… like I’m gonna lose my own free will… I don’t want that!”

“No, Dylan, it’s not like that. Look, I know I just gave you a lot of information you need to process. But trust me, you won’t lose your free will, like I said before; nobody gets to make decisions for you, you can choose to spend your heat on your own or with someone else, but it should always be your own call.  Think it like this: a Beta can’t choose not to have her period but can choose not to get pregnant; this is exactly the same. We all have choices and free will, you just have to be strong and stand by your choices.”

“I know. It’s just too much information. You think your brother-in-law will agree to come and talk with me?”

“I’m pretty certain, Dylan, I’ll talk to him tonight” Sam says. “I’ll have Castiel to come as soon as he can; now your mom is waiting to spend time with you before going back to work.”

“But Doctor W, no! I wanna keep on talking! You don’t understand! I want all the experiences my friends have! They date and kiss girls or boys, whatever they like best! I want my mate now! I want to kiss someone and love!! You know I don’t have time to wait until I am eighteen!! I want to love, Doctor W!!” and he covers his head with the bedspread and cry.

 “Dylan, your mom is outside, I have to go home now, but I swear I’ll be back tomorrow by myself or with Castiel… this conversation is not over, buddy, but your mom is back from the cafeteria and she’s been expecting to see you all morning… let’s do it for her, shall we? C’mon… lemme clean your face, can you smile?... that’s better… I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sam smiles to Dylan and shakes his hand good bye. “And you  _will_  experience love, Dylan. I promise.” For the first time, he consciously lies to the kid.

**

Charlie and Jo used to have a plan. They meant to make Dean and Castiel split up. Each one of the girls had her own reasons, different reasons but every one of them valid all the same. Because what’s the point of a team if they don’t share a need. They both need their best friend back.

Dean might be Jo’s object of desire but he’s also her best friend, or used to be until he got into Lisa; when they separated, Jo thought she could still had a chance and fought for it until… well,  until along came Castiel. Now she’s totally desperate, she’s lost him as a boyfriend-to-be and, worse, as a friend; or she’s really close to lose him. She’s screwed it big time. She should have played it differently, she could have played the friend, the confident and undermine their relationship from inside. Now it’s too late. 

Jo has plotted with Char for a while now, they’ve tried different approaches and followed a plan; only lately Charlie has been noticing Jo backing out a little so she tries to hurry things up.

“We need to set the plan in motion, Jo.” Char comes close to Jo while the blonde young woman is getting the food containers ready for the take outs and deliveries.

“Of course, Charlie, and we will; only…  I’m a little busy with Gabriel now, you see.”

“Well, isn’t that great! Another Novak/Winchester catch… awesome, just freaking awesome. What is it with your families and the mating? Shit, Jo!” She’s not making too much sense with that… Jo is not a Winchester per se nor Gabriel has done anything wrong to Char…

“We’re not mating. I am choosing this, so you better back off, Char, I’m having fun and there’s nothing wrong with it.” Jo gives her a look that says she’s a bit tired of everything.

Tired of being ignored by Dean; tired of being treated like a baby girl, tired of not being good enough for anybody… except for Gabe. He treats her like a woman and makes her feel important, and also makes her laugh. What else could she ask for? Maybe  _love_  would be nice, yes; but love is overrated.

“Yeah, anyway. Look, I talked to my friend Xander, he agreed to pose as Cassie’s ‘friend’, his  _interest_ , you could say.” Char notices she’s not getting any reaction from Jo. Shit, that’s not good. “Are you even listening? I am betting my neck here, if Cassie finds out I am doing this I’m screwed, he’ll never talk to me again.”

Jo leaves the containers on the table and turns around “You see, Charlie, I like Gabe and I love the way he makes me feel; I’m busy now. Today I don’t feel like ruining other people’s lives, period.”

“So you’re backing up, aren’t you? C’mon, Jo, don’t leave me alone with this.” Charlie pleas.

“I won’t, Char, I promise. Just not today… maybe another day” She says without much conviction.

**          

“Finally” Sam thinks at his shift end around 4PM. He’s been working in the mornings now that Ruby is pregnant. Usually, and only because he’s a Meta, he can choose anything but his shifts. Whatever he wants the Meta office gives it to him. If Sam were someone else, a person without conviction or some self-centered bastard he could have taken advantage of everything he’s given; but not Samuel Winchester.

So, working morning shifts is part of those prerogatives he can claim after the Meta office is informed of their pregnancy. He could basically do his residence as he pleases, he could even cut hours, but of course that would be taking advantage and Sam would never do that. He’ll continue to work as hard as usual, not only because it’s the right thing to do but also because he’s got children’s lives in his hands. He’ll do it all but he’ll do it in the mornings.

Once back at the Manor he can’t stop thinking about Dylan and as he enters he hopes Ruby is not working. She’s been staying at home a bit more and working less at the firm… but still she’s working too much, and Sam doesn’t like it.

He lets his breath come out in a sigh of relief at the sight of Ruby lying on the couch watching TV and drinking ice tea. Only when he approaches to the couch he sees a wall of papers all over the floor and the coffee table.

“How can you watch TV, drink tea and work at the same time?” He leans on the couch and kisses her on the cheek and the tummy, smiling widely.

“I should get used to do many things at the same time, you know, to train on motherhood but, honestly? I can’t yet. I was working but Baby W was mean to Mamma and gave me nausea so I asked Sally for an ice tea and crackers; and here I am, watching ‘Star trek’. Dean told me we have to educate Cas on pop culture; I’m catching up with TOS so I can help with the lessons next weekend.”

“Uh… interesting… does Cas know what my brother is planning?”

“I suppose so. Anyway, Cas is gonna be happy doing anything with Dean, so…” Ruby offers him tea but he refuses. “Be a dear and take all these papers to my desk, would ya?”

“Your wishes are my commands, sweet Lady.” Sam bows, then takes the papers and takes them to the office.

Sam returns to the living room and sits next to Ruby, who’s now squatting on the couch, and lays his head on her lap. They both sigh at the comfort of just staying there together, watching how Mr. Spock struggles with his  _Pon Farr_  experience,  meanwhile Ruby strokes his hair and smiles to herself; she loves his hair and adores to toy with it, and, for the sounds Sam is making, so does he.

“Tough day, honey?” Ruby asks knowing the answer already. Sam turns around to face her.

“More than tough, I wish I had a magic wand to wipe my patients’ pains away.  You remember Dylan? “

“Of course I do, Sammy.” How could she forget about the kid that has Sam so hopelessly obsessed. “What happened?”

“I went to spend some time with him at the end of my round, his mom works all day long and his father is working in another city so the kid is quite lonely. We played cards for a while but then he started making questions about his designation and stuff. Did I tell you he’s an Omega?... Well, he is and nobody has explained to him much, only the lame medical stuff and all the crap the government wants the Omegas to believe, you know, things like ‘Omegas are different’, ‘Omegas can’t have much in life’, ‘Omegas have to find an Alpha to be happy’, the whole  _barefoot-knock up-mating shit_.” They stay quiet for a few seconds, feeling the sadness of a reality that both of them wish were different. “Fortunately he did not take it all for granted. He searched the internet for more information and found this site that explains designations from a humanitarian point of view, giving people options, you now? But he’s only fourteen and it only brought more questions than answers. So there we were playing  _War_  and all of the sudden he started asking me questions about the heat. I tried to explain it the best I could but I think it’d be better to hear it from an Omega point of view… so I promised Dylan to ask Cas to go and have a talk with him.”

Ruby suddenly stops petting his head and Sam looks up at her. “What, hun, you think Cas would say no?” He lays his head on her lap again. “I hope not, because I can explain the body reaction, the pheromones, the needs and urges and suppressors and pregnancy from both medical and Alpha’s point of view but that’s not what the kid needs, he needs to know how it feels.” Ruby is now tenderly caressing his face and he takes her wrist to kiss the palm of her hand. “He’s a brave kid, you know? But he looks so helpless, so lonely and frightened, it breaks my heart. He tries so hard to understand, he smiles a lot but there is fear in his eyes… shit, Rubs; no other kid got to me this deep. When I was saying good bye he told me ‘ _I want to kiss someone and love. I want to love, Doctor W._ ’ and all I could do was lie and tell him he’d have the chance to. He won’t, Ruby… he’ll never make it because his time is running out, because his designation physiology plus his rare type of blood make the drugs that could help him useless. There’s gotta be something  else; I have to find a cure for him… that’s all I can think of.”

Sammy hugs her with one arm and kisses his son on her tummy. All he can think of is to find a cure, not just for Dylan; he needs to find the cure for mankind because what if anything like this ever happens to his own son? What if his baby develops a rare disease like Dylan’s?

It’s every parent's nightmare. Of course, moms and dads always expect their babies to be perfect and healthy but Sam knows best; after  _The Change_  people started having problems conceiving and miscarriages tripled or more, that was the excuse to create all the designation office mess and now they’re all stuck with it. It also made some already bad illnesses worse because of the new physiology; some diseases that were mild back in the old days turned incurable, and the ones that were already incurable… became basically almost instant death; too little to do to make it, at least, comfortable towards the end.

Ruby is no doctor and as a Beta she can’t sense mood changes like Alphas or Omegas but she recognizes distress when she sees it and there’s no need to read minds; Sam is about to cry, so Ruby pets his head and strokes his hair and mutts words of ease and love.

“There, baby, he’s gonna be alright. You’re a good doctor. You’ll make it, you’ll help him.” The day she decided to share her life with him she knew it was going to be hard whenever these little break downs would happen, his career path is really tough and the fact that he’s a thousand times more interested in the person he’s treating than in the illness itself makes it harder.

They just stay there on the couch just sharing the silence and at a point Sam falls asleep and, just when she thinks she can’t love him more she looks at him so peacefully relaxed, hand on her tummy and a smile on the face… she falls harder for him. Dinner can wait; Dean and Cas went out so she can even tell Sally to cook tonight. This moment is precious and she can stay here all night long. There’s nowhere they need to go to.

**

Almost a month went by since the last chef dinner but for Dean and Cas it feels like a lifetime.

It’s Wednesday and they’re finally heading to David’s restaurant. They’ve been the reason for the dinner to be postponed over and over again; because of the trial, Cas’ heat and all the other stuff. Cas and Dean arrive in Baby smiling wide and anticipating the moment of coming clean to Cas’ friends.

Dean was expecting a regular restaurant but he found himself entering a pub; Dave owns a freaking Scottish Pub, haggis and all the proper stuff included. Dean knows he’s gonna like this place… the smell in the air tells them they’re about to eat more proper American food and Cas turns to look at him because he senses his mate gets turned on… by food? ‘ _Yeap, that’s my mate’_  he thinks chuckling.

Dean arcs his eyebrows and looks at Cas, surprised by his amusement. “What?” but Cas just smiles wider and leads him to where his friends are.

“Castiel! You made it! Finally!” David calls from across the bar entering to the kitchen with a tray.

“We had lost all hopes of you joining us again, my friend! We’ve missed you… we’ve been having debates on movies with no one to lecture us on historical facts! Our meetings are not the same without you, Castiel!” Johanna goes to hug Cas.

“Hey, look David! Cas  _did_  bring Dean! How good to see you again, man! Here, have a beer” Mark points out, handling a cold beer to Dean, making him very happy.

“Thank you, man! Mm this is quite a fancy beer… not bad at all.” And that’s a compliment Dean does not give away for free, the beer is really good. “How you’ve been, folks?”

“Pretty good… a bit worried about Cassie though” Matt intervenes. “But before getting into a deep conversation, I think there’s someone here that needs to tell some good news to the gang… right?” He says to nobody in particular but getting four people out of six in the room turn to look at Cas with equal smirks.

Dean finds his beer even more interesting than before but looks sideways to find a very red Castiel. After a few seconds, the Omega swallows hard, smiles wide and nods. “Yes, actually I think it’s time for you all to know that Dean’s…” but he doesn’t get to finish the confession.

Mark cuts him and holds his open hand to their friends and Johanna and Matt give him money. Dean looks at that exchange and again to Cas and they both shrug. “Oh, c’mon guys, we’re all Alphas, you really thought we wouldn’t sense it? I felt it like a month ago but we just wanted to give you time to come clean whenever you were ready. We just didn’t want to push it.” Mark winks at Cas and punches Dean in the shoulder. “Matt bet you’d send us wedding invitations and only then we’d find out; Johanna bet you’d tell us after your first born; David didn’t bet but he said you’d tell us whenever you’d be ready (boring, I know!), and I bet you’d tell us today. The only thing we all agreed on is that we’re happy for you, guys!”

“Woah, lemme see if I get this right” Dean speaks because Cas is mute. “You four, Cas’ buddies, knew we were mates almost since the moment we met and said nothing? Not cool, man, not cool…”

“Oh, please Dean! We were just trying to give you two some space” David says, again from the kitchen. “We didn’t want to push Cassie to share before he was ready!”

“We were lucky, though. We didn’t have to wait until the wedding but you, my friend” Matt points at Cas, “made us wait almost a month! We’re hurt, buddy, we thought you didn’t love us anymore.” He sits and, resting his head on his fist he tells Cas, “Now sit, Castiel, I want all the sordid details.”

The guy receives a hit in the back of the head; Johanna is laughing hard. “MATT! C’mon, friend! Give the man time to adjust to this! Can’t you see he’s still in shock?” she points at Cas laughing harder.

That seems to break the spell in Castiel. He laughs with Johanna and shoots, “I hate you all, you know? I’ve just spent the last two hours thinking how to bring up the news and you already knew.” He shakes his head looking down. “I should be so mad at you four, now… but you’re a bunch of crazy lovely people… I can’t stay mad for more than a minute.”

“Well, Cas, we knew you were into something and we knew you two were mates. We just didn’t know if you were doing something about that” Mark explains.

“Oh, we did something… in fact, several somethings” Dean teases.

“ _DEAN_!” Castiel shouts and his face goes out of the scale of red.

“HAHAHAAHAHAHA Oh my God! I said it already, I like this one… can we keep him? I think we’re allowed to keep him, now” Johanna can barely speak, choking on laughter.

The mood continues good and funny; they keep on teasing Castiel, and Dean keeps teasing back, making Castiel flush redder until they think he’s gonna pass out.

Snacks and beer and talk. They come and go through all of the last month issues to update Cas and start asking questions about Castiel’s legal situation.

At a point someone asks about Charlie. “Where is she? We haven’t seen her since… well, I can’t remember the last time she had dinner with us.” Cas' face changes and Dean puts his hand on his mate’s leg to help him relax a bit.

“She had more important things to do. Some sort of anniversary with Meg. She didn’t say exactly what, she’s having a hard time being specific lately.” Cas excuses his friend… or is she already a former friend?

“No. You don’t have to lie on her behalf” Dean says to Cas, looking straight into his eyes and then turns to the rest of the table and offers his uncensored version. “She’s not here because I am.” Cas sighs and drinks the rest of his beer in one single gulp. “She doesn’t like me at all. She insists I will leave Cas for the first Beta or Omega that happens to cross my path. She doesn’t believe in mating at all, to her it’s just a fairytale. So, yeah, it’s my fault that she’s not here tonight.”

‘ _Fuck you, bitch’_  is what goes through Dean’s mind, but he doesn’t say it out loud because that would hurt Cas and Dean would die before hurting him.

A hand in his shoulder distracts him from his thought and he welcomes him. “No, Dean, it’s not your fault. She’s being stubborn and childish. How in the world being my mate or loving me can be wrong? She’s the one at fault, not you.” And, without thinking, he leans on and plants a chaste kiss on Dean’s lips. That single sole action makes Dean relax and smile at him.

Johanna awes.

Matt wolf whistles.

Mark teases: “Get a room you two!”

David intercedes: “Leave the lovebirds alone.”

Cas' face turns crimson but Dean just gets up, hugs Cas tight in his arms and kisses him movie style. Then, still panting for air turns around and facing their friends, he challenges them: “Anyone with a problem, call my lawyer. She might be petite but she can kick your rears just fine.”

Everybody laughs and congratulates them again. Dean sees no problem in becoming their friend. They truly seem to love Castiel and Cas loves them back, and anyone who loves his mate is Dean’s friend.

Dinner goes on just fine, fun and nice. They laugh a lot and talk more. David’s cooking is awesome and they end up going home at one in the morning. Dean and Cas go to his place above The Angel’s Pit and they  _do_  something about it. A couple of ‘ _somethings’_.

**

“Girl, finally!! It was about time! It’s been a week since your first date with Gabriel…” Ruby exclaims watching Jo coming down the stairs.

“More than a week, as he likes to remind me” Jo laughs. “I’m not sure about the dress, though. Do you think it’s too much?”

“Well, to be honest, Jo, silk stalking and tiny dress are always too much; but after what you wore last time… it’s kinda appropriate. Actually, if you’re wearing a garter and he sees it, well, that would lead to something else… Are you ready for that extra mile?”

“No garter, just full stalking… second date, so I don’t want to look cheap… even if I  _do_  want that extra mile” Jo tells Ruby in confidence.

Ruby laughs hard. “Oh sweetie, we all want sex. Unfortunately we have to play the game  _i-am-a-dumb-virgin-who-never-thinks-about-sex_ for a little while.”

The doorbell rings.

Ruby tells Jo to sit on the couch and wait for Gabe to come in and go to her. She goes to the door and lets Gabriel in.

“Hi, Gabe, please come in.” He does and is about to go to the living room but Ruby gets him by the arm and pulls him aside to have a little talk.

“Gabe, I know you’re Cas’ brother and a good person. I also know she’s not my sister, not even my sister-in-law properly speaking since she’s not technically a Winchester but anyway, she’s family, and my mate’s surrogate sister and I draw the shorter straw so… I won’t threaten you with violence because… look at me, I’m shorter than you and that’s an understatement, but if you are playing with her you need to be honest, she may wanna play too and that’s just fine; but if you hurt her, her big tall brothers are gonna kill you. Now, Gabe, I really like you so I want you to stick around for a while. She seems happy and focused on other things than ruining everyone else’s lives, which is great, by the way.”

Gabe listens carefully but never loses his perpetual smirk. “It’s funny, you know, because a few days ago I was on the other end of this same conversation, so I completely understand what you’re talking about.  Look, Ruby, I like her, alright? She’s not my mate but I really like her and I think that I’d really love to have her around. I know! I know what you think… but I promise I’m not playing with her, not like that, at least. So, now that everything is clear… where’s my girl?”

“Oh, you’re taking a piece of cake,… Jo! Your man is here!” Ruby shouts from the door.

Gabe turns to the living room area and whistles at the sight of Jo. “Sweetie pie, you look astonishing… Wanna come to my place?” he winks and smiles.

Jo looks about to say yes, but instead she goes for the chicken exit: “After all the work I put into this? You’re gonna have to do better than taking me home.”

“I’m kidding, honey pie. You are a sight to show off… come on! I have reservations at this restaurant that turns into a club after eleven. Let’s go!... Ta-ta Ruby, nice chat!” He waves good bye.

They go to the club. The food is good, the drinks are better but she’s in the mood for beer for dinner and she sticks to it, because her birth certificate may say  _Harvelle_  but she’s a Winchesters at heart, and Winchesters can handle beer like nobody else.

“Well, it seems someone is trying to keep all her senses today, good girl! I’d like you to be aware of my kiss good night, when the time comes.”

“Just kiss good bye? I was expecting dessert and coffee and all you had promised the last time we went out…” she teases, and damn she’s good.

“Oh! A girl that remembers! I like that… I really do! C’mon… let’s dance.”

The music is fast, everybody at the dance floor is raising hands and shaking hips, jumping and doing some dance craze but not them. Gabe and Jo dance in slow motion, their bodies touching, and sensual moves charged with urge for sex.

Gabe kisses Jo’s temple. “How thoughtful, Jo, you decided to use lower hills this time. Thank you!”

Jo looks up and kisses his nose. “Well, I can’t do that if I’m taller than you” and smiles sweetly.

She tilts her head and licks her lips, playing her teeth with her tongue. Gabe looks at her with darker eyes. “Girl… you’re killing me.”

“Then do something about it, big boy” Jo teases and Gabe kisses her right in the middle of the dance floor. They kiss sweet, tender and smoothly.

Gabe’s mouth tastes like strawberries and candy, like chocolate and marshmallows and Jo loves it. After a while his tongue breaches her lips and tentatively explores her inside, waiting for her response to deepen the kiss properly; her own tongue comes into game and their tongues collide, starting a slow dance that will last hours.

**

For once they decide to have dinner in the kitchen with the TV on. It’s unusual but they were in the mood for a change, and since Sally has the day off it will leave less mess to clean afterwards. Cas had decided to cook different little dishes that would request constant trips to the kitchen so dinner in the kitchen is the smart move. Cas' food is angelic porn, if you’d ask Dean.

They do some small talk with the news on the background when Sam makes them shush. “Wait, guys shut up, please!”  He turns the volume up and they all listen.

_**~** _ **** __ **** **The** **MetaAlpha we talked to was concerned about this restaurant table requests compliance. He stated he had ordered his meal in advance from the provided menu and specifically asked to mark the table with a** **shellfish alert. If that other MetaAlpha Doctor had not been at the same restaurant, Steve Glover would have had little chance to survive. We have not been provided with the name of the restaurant~** **The voice in off narrates.**

_**~ Steve’s lawyer, Lucifer Novak from the firm Novak & Novak, has decided not to disclose the name of the restaurant for the moment ~,**_  The anchorman says to the camera.

 _ **~ “We have decided to keep the name of the restaurant secret for the time being. We just wanted to report this incident to make people conscious when eating out, so to verify what kind of restaurant they select to take their families.”**_   Lucifer sarcastically says with his lips curled into a smirk.  _ **“The firm Novak & Novak is not only representing Steve in this case to protect him but also to protect the entire population of Santa Monica and making our beautiful city a little safer.” ~ **_Lucifer is shamelessly smiling at the camera.

 _ **~ We’ll get back to this case as soon as we’ve got new information. ~**_   The anchorman finishes.

They are silent now, shocked and speechless. They knew this day would eventually come but it’s a shock all the same.

Ruby excuses herself and goes to her desk to call her uncle Chuck, Cas looks at the TV without really seeing it, Dean puts his right arm around Cas’ shoulders and his left hand on Castiel’s. Sammy makes himself useful and starts the coffee machine.

It’s probably gonna be a long night. Cas and Dean should sleep a few hours to avoid being zombies at work the next morning but not yet, bed will have to wait for a while.

Ruby hangs up with her uncle and goes back to the kitchen where Sammy is clearing the table.

“Well, family, let’s get some coffee. We can go to bed afterwards. Uncle Chuck told me we would be talking tomorrow morning so tonight we sleep and get relaxed.” She looks at the men of her pack and kindly smiles. “C’mon guys, it’s not like we didn’t know Luci’s tactics, right?”

“Yeah, Rubs. It still hurts that Lucifer is my brother and he couldn’t care less about my well-being. On the bright side he did not mention me or my restaurant.” Cas would hold on to a splinter if it’d give him any hope to stay afloat.

“ _YET_ ” says Dean.

“ _Yet_ ” says Sam.

“We don’t know.” Ruby thinks out loud. “Please, drink the coffee and go to your bedroom and have sex, cuddle, spoon or whatever makes you feel good.”

“ _ **RUBY**_!” the three men shout at the same time.

“ _ **WHAT**_?” Ruby says in a laugh, “I haven’t changed since the day we’ve met… Have I not been this honest with you every single time?”

“Still, woman…!” Sam intervenes.

Dean and Cas have already accepted and love Ruby just the way she is, so they just nod and smile.

**

Jo stumbles a little when she gets off the car and heads to the Manor front door. She’s a bit tipsy but not like last week. She cups Gabe’s face and pressing her forehead to the man’s, she says, “I had promised myself not to sleep with you today… but you’re making it a promise quite hard to keep.”

“I would very much like to make you break that promise, Jo. But not here, not in your brother’s house. I want to make you scream, honey pie. I want you to get loose and comfortable enough to cry out my name… Oh, babe, I wanna make so many things to you… but not today” he says in a sigh into Jo’s ear.

Jo shivers and holds him tighter. “So  _so_  hard to keep… Now, kiss me good night and go or I’ll drag you to my bedroom and scream your name anyway.”

Gabriel kisses her gently, sweet and soft. It’s the tenderness in the kiss that makes her knees threaten to buckle. She melts into the kiss and really but really would like to take him upstairs.

Gabe breaks the kiss.

“Sorry babe, I’ll be going now or I won’t be able to stop myself from climbing those stairs and get myself killed in the morning.” He kisses her in the temple and walks off to his car.

She turns and goes inside and finds the Mansion quiet and peaceful. Jo goes to the kitchen and grabs a glass of soda and almost breaks it when her phone buzzes.

_**«I had a really nice evening, Miss Harvelle.»** _

She smiles at the phone.

_**«Me too, Mr Novak. I’m a bit tipsy so it’s a nice improvement, don’t you think?»** _

Gabe's answer comes quickly and she thinks he hasn’t left the Manor front yard yet.

_**«Indeed. Still next time I’ll feed you and you’ll drink Coke. I want you with all your senses enjoying the filthy little things I wanna do to you.»** _

Jo laughs a little, thinks for a second and smiles while typing.

_**«If I let** _ **** _**you.»** _

Gabe’s answer comes in two texts messages.

_**«Oh baby, you will and you’ll be begging for it.»** _

_**«Sweet dreams beautiful girl. Say you’ll be mine next time.»** _

She smiles and texts back.

_**«All yours. Sweet dreams, my Candy Man.»** _


	25. Lovers live a little longer

 

Lovers live a little longer, baby  
You and me, we got a chance to live twice  
Lovers live a little longer, ain't that nice.

 

 

Sam is still worried about Dylan. The second he arrived to his office he was informed the kid has developed pneumonia. It’s a non-related illness but it will make him weaker. Sam’s whole day goes to the toilet with the news; he has to find a treatment.

He’s been investigating some new theories he’s found in medical research websites and magazines, and some papers related to Dylan’s condition that have been published lately, but none of them cover the kid’s factors combination. He’s been searching for a long time now, and still nothing related to Omegas with RH-Null blood type has appeared. He is aware he’s not a researcher but since nobody else seems to be doing anything about it and given the kid’s condition as a whole (the boy has no time), he can’t wait for some random laboratory or university research team to think it could be profitable to heal a handful of people a year. Money is god for laboratories as prestige for the Universities; nobody seems to care about the patients.

Sam will do something.

“Rubs, honey, is Baby W. treating you okay today?”

“He’s being a love, baby. What’s going on? I’m waiting at home for tea.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Look, Dylan’s time is running out, I can’t do anything with what we have available right now, I am gonna stay and do some research… hope you don’t mind if I get home by dinner time.”

“It’s okay, Sammy. Do whatever you have to do to help Dylan. Hope you find something useful, baby. I love you, see you tonight.”

“Thanks, Rubs. I love you, too.”

**

Ruby is doing some work on her computer at home; she’s working in a civil case, nothing too big, just some bastard owing his children alimony. This case was supposed to be taken by Terence but she asked him to let her take it, because… well, because there are kids involved and the guy has enough money for three life times, and yet refuses to pay. Oh, she’s gonna make him pay, he’s so gonna regret not abiding by the law.

The phone rings and Ruby almost screams… fortunately she only had a little tiny heart attack; the freaking phone scared the shit out of her. It’s Jenny. ‘ _This is no good’_ , Ruby thinks.

“Ruby, hi! Look, I know you told me not to bother you with details but we’ve got a problem.”

‘ _Of course you do.’_  Ruby is tired. “No, Jenny. There is NO problem. I hired you to have NO problems. You’re not supposed to bring problems to me, you should give me solutions! It’s not a good day so you better have good news for me.”

Jenny’s response comes in a heavy breath. “The flowers, Ruby; forget-me-nots are out of season and are almost impossible to get.”

“I thought I made it clear, Jen, I don’t mind if you change the roses or the white sweet peas but the forget-me-nots are irreplaceable. You have to get them, I don’t mind how. That’s  _your_  job!”

“I think I can do it, but It’ll cost more” Jenny replies fast enough.

“And why should I care?” Ruby sighs, she doesn’t want to sound bridezilla this soon but… “What did I tell you about the money?” Ruby says, harsher than necessary.

“Fine, good. Another issue… this time along with the solution” she quickly clarifies. Ruby sighs heavily, obviously crankier than usual. If Jen needs this Meta wedding to put her business on the map again, she better start working properly. “The tablecloths are not the color you’ve chosen. They are red, but brighter. I’ve just sent you the sample to your office. I also sent some other samples of different tones that are still available so you can choose… same thing with the napkins and the chair dresses” Jenny says, making sure Ruby understands she  _does have_  a solution to the issue.

“Oh Gosh, okay, I’m not sure if I’m going to the office tomorrow but I can always ask Kevin to bring the samples over. So, any other life or death issue?”

“Not at the moment. The rings are ready; we have all the supplies and the tent. Please remember you and the bride party have the dress appointment this afternoon; please make sure everybody is on time. Sam and the groom party have the suits appointment on Thursday; hope they’re on time too. The rest is just fine and in place. The food and the cake is in your hands… you did get your friend to handle the catering, right?” Nosey Jen, she didn’t like it a bit to have the catering decision taken away from her, she has restaurant partners that are not happy at all to have lost the opportunity of a Meta wedding catering.

“Oh yes, I got the caterer sleeping at home… he’s gonna do it wonderfully, trust me” and knowing Jenny will start asking questions about what she meant and wanting to leave her with the doubt, she hangs up after saying “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

**

“Ruru! I’ve been looking for you everywhere! What you’re doing?” Cas rhetorically says “Gardening is alright but you shouldn’t be lifting any weight. You know that, right?”

“Easy, Cas. I’m just pruning roses, no big deal. What d’you wanna talk about? Hand me the shears, would ‘ya?”

“Uhm… yeah, here. Now, I think we need to talk about the wedding menu, Ruru. I was wondering, I know you don’t want anything too fancy but I was thinking we can’t have Winchester food because Sam’s a Meta and you’ve got very important guests; so what if we serve fancy  _Hors d'œuvre_  and  _mini quiches_  for dessert, which are similar to pies but fancier and for entree  _pepper tenderloin with creamed potatoes_ , we can call it “ _poivre filet avec des pommes de terre à la crème”_ so we can fill the Meta standards and still have a big chunk of meat and potatoes, only fancier.” Castiel waits for Ruby’s verdict while holding the basket where Ruby is placing the roses.

“Well, Cassie, let me put it this way: you call me Ruru in front of anyone living outside this house and you’re so SO dead. Also, I think the menu you’ve chosen represents a perfect combination of Sam and me. As long as you manage to serve pigs in a blanket, my husband-to-be is gonna love you almost as much as his brother does” Ruby winks at him, touching the guy’s face with a rose, “Oh yes, I’d love to have  _Quiche Lorraine_  as a  _Hors d'œuvre_ , I trust you with all the rest.”

She takes the basket from Cas and takes him by the arm, leading him to the house. “So, tell me, brother. How’s Charlie doing with the cake? Please tell her to make sure the chocolate one is on the bottom layer, the cheese cake on the middle one and the ‘dulce de leche’ on the top one? I’m sure she won’t have any problems finding the dulce de leche, but if she does just let me know, I got my contacts, you know.” She thinks for a second. “Oh and tell her I want cake Nº 4 from her samples, it’s the light blue one with the white and red flowers; it matches my bouquet. Oh Cassie, I am not saying you like gossiping, but tell that to a single soul except Charlie and you’re dead too. No pressure.”

Cas turns to her, squinting, but can’t help but laugh out loud; still he knows better than to disclose any of his friend’s secrets.

“I love you too, Ruru” he says, still smiling. “And, sister, just take it easy, would you? All you have to think of is the baby and the wedding, and the wedding you’ve got it sorted out already; my trial will be over by then and in the meantime, Chuck is handling the case so everything is fine. Now, you have to relax, take a lot of baths, tons of sex, sleep a lifetime and we’ll be fine. Remember once the baby is here you won’t have time for any of that… be wise, my friend!”

“Relax? Sounds good, yes. I think I’ll schedule it for whenever the wedding is over” Ruby deadpans. “I promise.”

**

Incredible. Only eight days to the wedding. Friday night, the waiting for the bachelor and bachelorette parties is over.

Ruby wanted to have a single party for the two of them but, knowing his fiancée’s lack of filter when it comes to sex, Sam decided to turn the option down. Besides, he was pretty sure the girls would have a stripper show; so the men decided to have his party at The Angel’s Pit, leaving the house for Ruby’s.

“Your fault, Sammy! You wanted to have separate parties so the girls hired a stripper. I can promise I won’t do anything else but to watch… you could ask me not to but these eyes have a life of their own, I can’t make any promises, you see?” Ruby teases.

Sammy laughs hard. “Yeah, right. Well, as long as you promise not to freak out at the photos the guys are gonna take with Mandy or Tiffany or whatever her name would be, giving me a lap dance. Just remember I’ll be thinking of you the whole time. My eyes also have life of their own… fortunately my hands don’t; so don’t worry, I’m your mate and I love you. Remember that.”

“Awwe, I love you too, big boy. Let’s show our dorky friends how to party hard.” She tiptoes to kiss him. “Doctor Hart said that half a glass of champagne today and one at the wedding won’t harm Baby W. How awesome is she? But I’ve been thinking I’ll be drinking even less than that and only to avoid them getting suspicious. We have to keep the charade going for a little while longer.”

“That’s for the best, Ruby. Now, kiss me again… I got an appointment to get abducted by the groom party.” He kisses her hard and deep; when they part she’s breathless.

Ruby is dizzy and happy. In a week she’s gonna be a Winchester. Ruby Winchester; nothing ever sounded better.

**

Ruby’s party starts off quiet. Sally wonders if this is gonna be all so boring, this party is so unlike Ruby, they are just sitting there, gossiping , drinking tea and mimosas and eating the delicious Angel’s Pit catering: the most exquisite sandwiches, mini quiches and pastries from heaven. After a while Sally comes back from the kitchen driven by the laughter she hears in the living room and the voice of Ruby shouting her name asking what the hell she’s doing that she’s not joining the party.

They laugh out loud, screaming at every naughty present Ruby opens. A lot of lingerie… the lovely kind but mostly naughty, body stockings, crotchless panties and an amazingly hot satin red bow Teddy (Oh, Sammy is so gonna love this one), the regular gifts for brides, only these girls don’t stop there, of course, Ruby also finds edible underwear and even a dildo. Everybody burst into laughter and shocked expressions, but above everything else, Sally’s red face is priceless.

The maid of honor has been preparing games all week and claps her hands to drag the party attention to herself.

“Order, women! Order!! It’s play time! Woohoo!!! Ruby, how much do you know Sam? Yeah… yeah.. He’s your mate… we know the song… but again… how much do you know him? Let’s find out.”

So the game begins; first question is about Sam’s…  _shoe size_. “Easy, he’s a 12” Ruby says proudly, and everybody cheers. She gets pats on her back congratulating her, and some toasts on Sam’s big… feet.

Next game is for all the partiers to guess the  _wedding color theme_. Ruby told Andrea just a couple of colors so not to give away every wedding detail. Laura wins the game and gets a box of condoms (textured for her pleasure) and Sally almost faints; Ruby finds it hilarious the fact that a grown woman such as Sally can blush so easily.

It’s time to  _put the shirt to Sam_. Ruby goes to the bathroom and when she comes back she finds an over 6 foot photo of a shirtless Sam… when or where the hell did they find a photo of Sam shirtless escapes Ruby’s mind. Not that she’s complaining… a thousand uses for that thing come to her mind within a second.

“Oh, c’mon, that’s photoshopped!” someone says and Ruby opens her eyes as big as she can.

“The hell it is!” Ruby and Jo shout in unison laughing.

They all take turns to pin a t-shirt on Sam’s chest… blindfolded and queasy, laughing so hard half of them did not even aim to the photo. Laura wins a bottle of KY; more cheers and toasts.

The last game is  _guessing the answer_ ; they’ve asked Sam some questions and got his answers on video. Ruby has to guess them.

“Ready? Good! First question… this is easy… Do you have any birth marks? Where?” The Sam on the screen laughs and the video freezes.

“No challenge there. He’s got a heart shaped mark in his inner left thigh” she says smiling, the video rolls and the same answer comes from the Sam on the screen.

“Yeah!! Well done! Second question” the video goes on and Sam reads: “What is your favorite food to eat on her… I mean WITH her… my bad, sorry” the women cheer.

Ruby also laughs. “Well, his brother always teases him for liking rabbit food, which is almost impossible to eat out of me… sorry, with me… but he has a secret, he dies for chocolate, especially Reese’s.”

The video rolls again and Sam shows to the camera a Reese’s cup. “I cheated, I must confess” Ruby can hardly speak for laughing so hard, “We eat a lot of chocolate in bed” and them all lose their shits, Sally included.

When the video is on again it shows Sam reading the next question, “What color are Ruby’s eyes?”

“Very funny… ha ha… Well, as you can see my eyes are almost black but this is what he’s gonna say: ‘She’s got the most beautiful almond eyes that get darker with emotions, I love her eyes’, he’s madly in love with me, you see” she shrugs as if she couldn’t help it.

The video plays again and shows a smiling dreamy eyed Sam saying exactly the same words. “See? He loves me… told ya!”

“Last video, ladies!... Ready?” Andrea shouts and everybody agrees, “Roll video!” and then they see a very mortified Sam reading, or trying to; you can hear him pleading to skip this question but it does no good, “What’s your favorite position?” and bitch faces the camera, which only encourages the ladies’ screams.

Ruby smirks and shamelessly says “Since we have to stay half an hour tied, I prefer being spooned. But he likes every single position we’ve tried… and we’ve tried many, thank you very much.”

“Woah girl! Let’s see the answer…  _ROLL VIDEO_!” An extremely uncomfortable Sam, red as rhubarb, says: “Since... well... we... I... I'm an Alpha... she has to be... mmm... comfortable... since and we... Oh my... let's see, spooning... but I don't have a favorite one.” Everyone cheers and laughs and Andrea states “Well, well you  _do_  know your men, gurl!!!!”

“What can I say…? I do!!”

Half the lights go off and they can hear Andrea’s shouting “Party TIIIIIIIIIIMMMMEEEE” and the music gets loud and every woman starts jumping and dancing and singing. More food arrives and they sit, eating and chit chatting.

The food is amazing, of course, the girls are amazed when they learn it’s Cas' doing. And when dessert is announced they all move to the patio, champagne glass in hand. The doorbell rings and they turn to see who’s arrived, they cheer at the view of a policeman… that begins stripping.

One dollar bills appear out of nowhere and the guy’s thong turns into a piggy box. Women go crazy and they all have a blast. At a point the guy starts dancing in front of Ruby and gives her a lap dance… everybody firing them up, laughing and shouting.

Ruby’s champagne remains unattended on the table and no one realizes she only took a sip.

**

Meanwhile, the groom party is a little bit different; all manly food, fries, burger, stakes, pie and salad… because it’s Sammy’s party and he has to have salad. There’s no way his party wouldn’t have any green food. But again, it’s still a Winchester party so beer and whiskey are in order.

Manly party as it is, they bump shoulders and play pool and talk about women and sports… laughs and little dirty secrets are almost revealed… but not really, Dean would never embarrass his baby bro in front of his friends. Now, whenever they’re alone… that’s a different story.

After a while the doorbell rings and Kevin opens the door. Four beautiful girls in outfit enter the room and start stripping and dancing. Wolf whistling and encouraging shouts everywhere, the men are so enjoying it.

Obviously Sam gets four lap dances. Every other man gets one, except Cas. He just runs from the girls, sort of speak, not wanting to have any issues with Dean, jealous as he’s turning to be. Dean, being who he is, teases the girls but turns down the lap dance when approached.

Instead he gets to Cas and whispers in his ear, “I want one of those” and then looking into his eyes he mimics “T O N I G H T”.

Cas blushes furiously red but holds Dean’s face and smirking he says, “Maybe I want one of those too” and kissing his mate he mimics back “Tonight”. They clink the glasses and wink to each other smiling into their drinks. Everybody misses the interaction, entirely focused on the girls and their lap dances.

**

The morning after is a tough one. Sam, Dean and Jo suffer a severe case of hangover; Ruby has a horrible morning sickness. Castiel is the only one with no headache or any other kind of ache, well… lap dances are not that physically demanding as he has recently discovered but the activity that follows is another story. Not that he’s complaining. Like, at all.

Being the only one who is not regretting last night's decisions he makes breakfast; greasy protein breakfast (scrambled eggs, bacon and sweet French toasts) good for hangovers and for himself, and salty crackers with cheese and tea for the pregnant lady.

They sit in silence and pick their plates, sip some coffee and only then they come back to life. All wounded but beginning to heal.

“So, boy, you had a good time?” Ruby teases Sam. “’Drink too much perhaps?”

“Well… we drank beer, lots of beer. We ate too much, Dean had too much pie and… well, nope, that’s about it” Sam shrugs. “How about you?”

“Yeah, right! Honey, I wanna see the pictures. She was probably voluptuous and slutty. Was she beautiful too?” Ruby leans on the table searching for Sam’s gaze which is fixed on the table, she loves this game.

Sam and Cas blush immediately and Dean smiles coy, Sammy looks at him for help but Dean is having too much fun to say anything.

“Ok… Okay, they were alright I guess. Nobody is as beautiful as you, my love.” The other three awe at him mockingly but Ruby melts. “How about yours, then? Had any fun?” It’s Sam’s turn to know.

“Ohhh mine was fun, indeed. We had awesome food served (thanks Cas!), I got all the questions right, honey!” He rolls his eyes remembering some of the most embarrassing questions he had to read to the camera. “Oh!!! Oh!!! And we’ve got a new acquisition for the wall. Jo! Be a dear and bring your brother over.” The three men turn to her in surprise. “And I got loooootss of good presents, oh honey you’re gonna love them.” Ruby  _giggles_  and  _that_  is new.

“Oh please, I don’t wanna know.” Dean buries himself into the coffee mug.

“Oh c’mon, Dean-o, don’t be a party pooper” Ruby complains while Jo enters the kitchen with a cardboard of a very shirtless Sam. “I think I’ll put this art in the living room… what d’you think, Sammy boy?” She teases and Dean could swear he has never seen his brother so embarrassed.

Somehow Sam gets his voice back after choking on his own saliva and shouts “RUUUUUUUUBS!!”

“WHAAAT!?!” she mocks him. “I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?” Ruby gives him her best bitch face. “Alright! What a prude. I’ll put it in our bedroom.”

A chorus of three relieved men sigh in agreement.

“Now, my question is” Sam decides to speak up, “who the hell took that picture and why it is real size?” he questions.

“No clue, honey. All your nude pictures are kept locked and… Jo?” Ruby looks sideways to the blond girl.

“Pfff I didn’t have anything to do with that!”

“Then that leaves only Andrea. But, honey, you’re not naked… just shirtless.” Ruby cups his face.

They all keep teasing back and forward, laughing and having a relaxed breakfast.

**

 _«Sweetie pie. What’s your favorite food?»_  Jo receives a text from Gabe at noon.

 ** _«Whatever restaurant you prefer will be alright»_**  She answers

 ** _«Oh, no! no, no, no._** ** _No restaurant today, honey. I’ll cook for you»_**  Gabriel really likes her.

 ** _«Mmmm, I love simple food; spaghetti and meat balls. Burgers and fries. Pasta Alfredo; whatever you want, babe. Only, promise me dessert»_**  Jo laughs while pressing  _Send_.

The answer takes a little while.

 ** _«I’ve got fresh whipped cream and chocolate sauce for dessert and… a cherry»_**  he teases,  ** _«I’ll go and pick you up at 6:30, baby_** »

Jo doesn’t linger for a new text. She goes upstairs and starts getting ready. She needs to wax, clean, rub, curl, shower and get dressed for Gabe, she knows what he likes and it’s only her fault. She started with the dress teasing so… she’s not complaining, anyway.

**

It’s 6 PM and Jo is just finishing polishing her nails in the living room. The doorbell rings and she freaks out.

“Shit, he’s half an hour too early, damn. Castiel, go and entertain your brother. I am not ready yet.” Jo jumps from the couch and goes running upstairs.

“Yeah, right, Joanna, I’ll entertain my brother” Castiel says and then whispers to himself “Well, this is something” and she must have heard him because she turns over her shoulder and gives him a Winchester Trademark bitch face. Cas goes to the door and takes a deep breath before opening the door. He loves Gabe but the fact that he’s banging his mate’s sister makes him a bit uncomfortable.

As soon as he opens the door, Castiel freezes. He finds in front of him a boy with the greenest eyes ever. Green eyes pretty much like the ones he knows by heart. There’s not a single doubt in Cas’ heart, he knows who this kid is.

“You must be Ben” he smiles to the boy. “I believe you’re quite away from home. Is your mom with you?” Cas looks over the kid, but sees nobody.

“Yes, I’m Ben Breaden and no, I am on my own. I’m not even that far away from home. We’ve moved to Arizona last year. I just took the bus here. Is my Dad home? I mean, Dean” Ben says, coy as Dean himself, the kid is his carbon copy.

“Well, hello there, Ben. I’m Castiel. Please come in, let me get Dean for you. Alright? Want something to drink? Cookies, maybe?” Cas offers.

“No, thanks. Can I see Dean, now?”

“Sure, just sit and watch TV if you want, I’ll be right back.” Cas turns around and disappears into the kitchen.

“Love, you have someone waiting for you in the living room. And let me tell you something. If his mother keeps lying to you I’ll go and kick her ass.” Dean gives him a confused look, but Cas continues. “He’s got your eyes, and every single detail is yours” and stops waiting for Dean to get it, only he doesn’t. “Dean, Ben is here.”

That finally breaks the spell and Dean freaks out. “WHAT?! What did you just say?”

“You heard me, Dean, Ben is here. He said they’ve moved to Arizona last year and that he took the bus here” Cas lets him know. “I think you should go and… I don’t know… talk to him?”

“Shit, shit Cas, yes” Dean finally reacts.

Dean runs to the living room and hugs Ben tight.

“Oh God, Ben, you’re so big and tall and thin… and what the hell are you doing here alone? Where’s your mom? How is it that you took a bus? Answers, son! NOW!” Dean turns to Cas and asks him to go to the kitchen, get his phone and call Lisa. “Babe, tell her Ben is here and I’ll call her back as soon as I talk to Ben for a few minutes, she must be going nuts on this.” Cas nods and leaves them alone.

“Ben, what the hell were you thinking? What are you doing here?” Dean sits next to Ben on the couch and waits for the kid to start explaining himself.

“I left her a note. I had to see you, Dad” Ben says looking down at his shoes, shame finally hitting him.

“A note! You left your mom a note. Nice, son… classic. And where did you get money for the bus, if I may ask. And why, for Christ sake.”

“I wanted to see you, Dad. I’ve been asking to see you for months now, none of you tell me anything. It’s not fair! So, there, I ran away. I don’t want to live there anymore. You’ve promised me, Dad, you’ve said you’d be there and YOU’RE NOT! And now mom is gonna marry Chad and I don’t want him as my father… please, Dad, please! Can I live with you, please!? Daddy please, say yes!”

Dean thinks for a moment, and there’s a fear in his heart that he needs to clear.

“Ben, I’ll ask you this only once, and I want a serious and straight answer. Don’t be afraid to answer, alright? Did Ted do anything to you? Anything bad or inappropriate? Did he hit you or something?” and Dean’s heart stops until Ben talks.

“No, Dad. He’s alright. He tries to be nice and plays soccer with me. But I just don’t want him to be my dad. I don’t want mom to marry him, because if they get marry I won’t be seeing you anymore!” Ben wraps his arms around Dean’s waist. “Daddy, don’t leave me again!”

“Ben, son, look at me… I said look at me, NOW!” Dean grabs him by the shoulders to have him look up. “We’ve been through this before, Ben. Nobody and I mean no-one will ever take me away from you. Is that clear? You know I talk to your mom every other week, we make decisions about you together as parents and we made it very clear that my presence in your life is something that is not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, kiddo.” Dean ruffles Ben’s hair and hugs him tight. “Uh, your mom! She’s must be really pissed. I’ll go talk to her. I’ll be right back, ok? Castiel’s gonna bring you some cookies and milk.”

Back in the kitchen Dean allows himself to panic a bit; everything that could have happened to the kid on his way to LA finally hits him. He takes a seat with his back to the counter and Cas hugs him before he can start hyperventilating; skin contact doing wonders to calm the Alpha down.

“It’s okay, Love. He’s alright. This is good, you know, it’s something that had to be done at a point. Today is as good as any other time.”

“I know, Babe, I know, it’s just… what if he had…”

“No, Dean. Nothing bad happened, let’s focus on the most important outcome that is having your son here with us.” Cas sighs at the thought of a family of their own. “I think you should call Lisa, now” he says turning to the counter to grab something.

That alerts Dean, the kid is alone in the living room. “Yeah, I’m gonna call her right now, she must be mad.”

“Well, she’s more worried than mad, but yes, she must still be terrified” he says and turns, carrying a tray with milk and fresh made cookies. If Dean wasn’t already in love with him, this would do it.

Dean kisses his forehead, because his state of panic won’t let him think straight, making Cas laugh. “I’ll go and call Lisa, now. Babe, you know I love you, right?”

Cas leaves the tray, cups Dean’s face and lands a sweet kiss on the taller guy’s lips. “You better. I love you too. Now, go!”

As Castiel leaves the kitchen, Dean grabs the phone and dials.

“Hi, Lisa. Yes, Lis, I know!... He’s okay… yes, I promise, he’s good… God, Lis, stop crying, he doesn’t hate you!... Stop saying that! You’re a good mother, Lisa.” Dean listens for a few minutes; on the other side of the line the woman can’t say a full sentence without sobbing and crying, but Dean understands, she’s in shock and it’s only logical.

“It’s not like that, Lis. Ben misses me. He misses  _US_. He thinks that the second you and Chad marry, he won’t see me again…. Because he thinks you’ll forbid him to!... I know you wouldn’t… stop… Lisa, stop crying. He’s only 11… he doesn’t mean it… he loves you, Lis.” This is harder than he thought it’d be. “No, look, don’t come pick him up today. Give him time, alright?... He’s with me, Lis; I’m entitled to have my son at home with me, right?” Good move, Winchester. Pick up a fight, the woman obviously hasn’t had enough for the day. “Sorry, no, sorry; Look, it’s Saturday and Sammy’s getting married in a week. Let him stay for the wedding… I’ll buy him an outfit, don’t worry… I’ll take care of him, Lisa. It’s not the first time, alright?”

There’s a waterfall of do’s and don’ts and Dean listens patiently to Ben’s mom.

“Lis, he’s gonna be okay. There’s always someone in the house, we’ve got a 60” TV, PlayStation and tons of games. Sam’s got a pool and a patio and even a closed beach. Just…just relax, he’s gonna be with me… Yes, of course, let me put him through.”

Dean gets to the living room where Castiel is sat next to Ben laughing and talking about video games. He hands the phone to Ben and the kid shakes his head and tries to get away from the couch. Dean would find it funny if he wasn’t thinking of grounding the kid for about, let’s see… today is Saturday, so that would be … forever. “What… you’re all grown up to run away, take the bus and visit your old man but not to talk to your mom on the phone? Tough, kid. You’re talking to her.” He winks at Cas when he takes the empty tray to the kitchen.

Ben finally takes the phone and rolls his eyes at his mom’s voice.. “Yes, mom… sorry, mom… no, mom… what? Really? A whole week? WOW, mom, thanks!... Ok, I’ll ask dad… Yes, mom. I love you too, mom… I’ll do that. Dean wants to talk to you, bye!”

“Hey, Lis… yes, sure, no prob…. Two days grounded… I get it, no TV… Oh you can bet he’ll do it… he’ll call you every day… yes, me too, Lis, bye.” Dean hangs up the phone and drops himself on the couch, releasing a relieved breath.

“You are in so much trouble, kiddo. Mom said NO TV till Monday and she’s being soft. Now… we’ll go get some burgers for dinner but before” he goes to the kitchen door and crooks a finger to Cas inviting him to come back and tells to Ben, “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Castiel enters the living room with a huge smile, stands next to Dean, letting him put his arm around his shoulders, “Son, this is Castiel Novak; my mate.”

The two adults remain silent, giving time for the kid to react, for the confession to sink.

“Your  _mate_ … as in  _your boyfriend_?” Ben asks.

“Yes, Ben, Cas is my boyfriend.” Ben is all big eyes. “Well, we found each other almost two months ago.” Dean joins hands with Cas, more to reassure his mate than anything else. Castiel may be cool with Ben being there but it has to be a little stressing all the same. “Is it okay with you, son?”

“I guess… yeah, why not…I mean it’s kinda weird, though. I thought you liked girls.” Ben shyly points out; he doesn’t want to be rude but he  _needs_  to  _know_.

“It doesn’t work like that, Ben. You remember everything mom and I told you about gender designations, right? Mating works differently, the souls bond, and the bodies complement each other. I still like girls… I don’t like guys… only Cas; and that’s beyond liking. Our souls belong together, and our bodies mating pheromones match, you could say we’re one soul with two bodies.” Ben pays close attention to what his Dad is saying, Dean chooses his words very carefully and Castiel listens and nods; this is very important and the kid deserves to have a proper explanation. This kid is part of their lives and Castiel wants him to be comfortable with his Dad being mated to a man.

“This is one of the reasons mom and I can’t be together, Ben; we love each other too, but we’re not mates. I love Cas and he loves me back, we’re mates and we’re happy together. Mating is forever and is a bond that can’t be broken.”

Dean, still holding Cas’ hand, takes a seat next to Ben. The Omega smiles at the sight of father and son, because that’s what they are and nobody can tell Cas otherwise, not even Lisa. “So, Ben… you’re cool with us being together?” Cas risks.

“I guess so… you seem cool, Cas; and the cookies you baked were awesome! You’re coming with us to dinner tonight?” Ben casually says and just like that the mating between Dean and Castiel is accepted by the boy.

“Sure, if you want me to, Ben, only if you want.” Dean has never seen Cas’ smile brighten his eyes so much.

“Yeah! It’s gonna be fun.”

“Well, then; it’s a date… now, in a moment we’ll go and find a room for you while Cas goes and gets Jo and Sammy… you mind, Babe? They should be by the pool; I'll be in the kitchen with Mr. McRun here.” Castiel nods and Dean kisses his forehead. He actually aims to the lips out of habit but Cas eyes’ warns him Ben’s looking and that it’s probably too much for him.

Sam comes running and hugs Ben, Ruby is introduced and falls in love with the kid in exactly five seconds. She begins making plans for his bedroom decoration, because there is no way the boy is gonna leave the house without a bedroom of his own to return to anytime he wants, a room with all the games and stuff children his age dream to have.

Jo comes downstairs after a few minutes, she still has to get ready for her date, but nonetheless she hugs her nephew and promises to spend the whole Sunday with him (she honestly thinks she’s not gonna be hangover…there’s a slightly chance, though).

“Ain’t you a tall little brat? You grow another inch and you’ll be taller than your Auntie Jo… that’s not fair, kiddo” Jo laughs and hugs him again, doing her best not to mess her makeup.

“Well, Jo, I hope I’ll grow as taller as Dean. I don’t wanna be short, you know…” Ben winks at her… damn the kid is as charming as Dean, Cas cannot help but to notice and smiles to himself.

“Hey, kiddo, get this. Your Dad is not the tallest man here, you may want to be as tall as, uh, I don’t know… me?” Sam pats Ben’s head and hugs Ruby from the back, hands on her belly, kissing her neck.

The doorbell rings and Jo jumps on her feet, then kisses Ben’s cheek. “That’s my queue! See ya’ll… don’t wait up. I mean it… really, don’t.”

Ruby laughs and goes after her to the door, “Oh, is it that so?... I want details, young lady… a lot of details.”

“One detail I can tell you right now. Everything I am NOT wearing is in this bag.” Jo shows her a tiny purse.

“Oh my! Is it suddenly hot in here or what? Looks like you’re planning on NOT eating, uh?”

“Oh I’ll eat plenty, I’m just craving for dessert first” Jo says over her shoulder while crossing the front door.

Gabe goes to meet her and kisses her cheek and a peck barely touching her lips. “Let’s go, girl… dessert won’t prepare itself.”

  
Ruby smiles at Sam who’s just joining her at the door and shouts “Misbehave!” to the couple.

“Promised!”

“Err, Dad, I mean Dean, says we’ll go for burgers… you can come if you want… Uncle Sam too” Ben waits for an answer.

“Well, let’s go then” Sam and Ruby each grab Ben’s hands and go back inside.

**

Back in the car Gabe can’t think straight. “So… dinner. Pumpkin, I hope I heard you right because I’ve prepared some awesome food for tonight.”

Jo, slightly opening her legs, squints at Gabe and sits a bit more straight. “Well, we could eat if that’s what you want… but, you know, we could always…” she’s killing Gabriel.

He does try to drive steady but how? The girl is a teaser and he loves it. “Baby, stop it or we’ll crash… the ride is not so far, please stop.”

“Oh but why? Are you nervous because of me? Oh, poor dear Mr. Novak can’t handle a little girl… shame on you, Sir” she says with a pout.

“Oh no, I can handle the whole of you, girl. Only I prefer to do it alive. It’s a five minutes ride. Can you behave for just five minutes?”

“I can try…” Jo brings a fingertip to her lips and pouts.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, girl! BE.HA.VE.!” Gabe holds the wheel so tight that his fingers go almost white.

**

Burgers at Denny’s. Dean chose the place because it’s familiar to the boy; with Castiel in his Dad’s life and Sammy’s wedding around the corner the kid has had enough surprises and changes for a day… or for a lifetime.

It was a fine dinner, they all laughed and talked and asked Ben a thousand questions and he questioned them back. He especially asks a lot of questions to Castiel, he wants to know what his Dad’s mate is like and so far the guy seems alright. Dean watches them interact and shares a look with Sam, who seems to be thinking exactly the same thing: this is going great. And it’s a relief.

It’s not that Dean had doubts about Castiel’s ability to handle kids, but seeing him talking with Ben and laughing and, more importantly, making the boy laugh; it just makes him understand maybe Cas won’t be so reluctant to have babies with him, you know, one day.

“How about we go to the beach?” Ruby proposes, and quickly adds, “After ice cream, of course.” She winks at Ben and the kid grins.

The beach is a beautiful sight at night and Ben is overwhelmed, he gets lost in the sound of the tide, the wind and the cool sand on the feet. Dean holds hands with Cas and walks along the shore right behind Ben, followed by Ruby and Sam… well, Dean thinks they were following them but when he turns around they are heading back to the deck.

After a while they also go back, Ben grabs Dean’s hand and begins asking questions about his job and his life in LA. He finds out that on Sunday Dean and Cas have already plans to stay at home and do some handiwork on the guest house so he comes with an idea.

“Can we come to the beach on Monday? I can swim, remember? Can we? Please?!”

Cas and Dean share a look, it’s not gonna happen but they have to be careful how to tell him, they don’t want the kid to be too aware of his Dad’s Alpha duties.

“I don’t think I’m gonna make it for a couple of days, but on Wednesday Cas has an early shift and I can skip a couple of hours at work. Wednesday afternoon is ok with you?”

“Sure, Dad!” the rest of the way back to the deck is made in easy silence.

“Hey, there! Ben, buddy, how you liked the beach at night; pretty awesome, uh?” Sammy takes Ben’s cheeks and squeezes hard, making the boy squeal a laugh.

They enter the Manor and Sally tells Ruby that Ben’s bedroom is ready, she’s going to bed now but she left coffee ready in the kitchen. They all thank her and wish her good night.

Coffee for the adults and a glass of milk for Ben. They sit in the living room and make plans for the week and talk wedding details… all three men pay close attention, nobody wants Ruby to turn into a bridezilla.

“Ben, would you like to be our  _ring-bearer_?” Ruby’s idea comes out of the blue but Sammy’s already nodding approvingly.

“Really?” Ben’s excited by the role. “Wait… do I have to use some stupid clothes?”

“Ben, LANGUAGE!” Dean warns him, full-parent-mode on.

“Leave the kid alone, Dean. Well, Ben, you’ll have to use a tuxedo with a bow-tie and, I am sure the ladies are gonna be watching you.”

“Bow-tie, uh? Well… bow-ties are cool. Or so the Doctor says.” Sammy almost jumps from the couch but restrains himself, this is gonna be so much fun!

“So… Ben…Whovian, uh…?” Dean rolls his eyes, Ruby burst into laughter and Cas tilts his head in confusion.

“Yeah… why?” Ben’s eyes are as big as dimes.

“Well...” and he starts singing, “Dooh wee oohh” and they high five laughing and promising to re watch the last season together.

“My Chuck, Sammeh, you’re gonna turn my kid into a complete nerd… Ben, say good night and go to bed, I’ll be upstairs in a moment.”

“I’ll show him his room” Ruby says, taking Ben by the hand and kissing his head.

**

Gabe parks the car in a luxury apartment building. Jo whistles and gets off the car when Gabe opens the door for her. “Wow. What a place!”

“You’ve seen nothing yet, Baby. You see there on top? That’s my place, the penthouse. How cool is that?”

She just smiles at him and looks at the building totally amazed, the place is incredible. Gabe’s apartment is huge, through the front door she’s taken into a big open space. She can see the kitchen, the office, the resting area, living room with its huge black couch and dining area. Everything together, few walls, fewer limits. So far she can only see four doors; she guesses at least one of them is the bathroom and the other bedrooms.

Gabe realizes she’s wondering about the doors. “Two of them are bathrooms and the other two are bedrooms” he says getting closer and taking off her stuff, well, her minimum stuff. He drops the purse on the floor and seconds after he’s assaulting her mouth, touching every part of her lips with the tip of his tongue, tasting, exploring with ease. Somewhere around the kiss, Jo takes the lead and lands hands and fingers on him.

None of them is complaining.

**

Dean’s gone to check on Ben and make sure he’s not gonna miss his own bed or house. Sam is taking a shower, so Ruby and Cas are alone in the kitchen. Ruby’s washing the mugs and Cas is leaning over the counter.

“Ruru, we’ve got a problem.” Ruby turns to look at him, eyebrows up. “Tomorrow…” and being Castiel so… himself, he can’t come up with the words. It takes Ruby a few seconds but eventually it hits her.

“Ohhhhhhhh… that’s gonna be an issue” Ruby says as Sam enters the kitchen freshly showered.

“What’s gonna be an issue?”

“The heat. Dean is so shocked and happy to finally have Ben with us that he seems to have forgotten to ask you a favor. Would you take care of him? I mean, Dean will probably have dinner with you, a quick dinner anyway, but I don’t think either of us will be able to be here a lot till Monday afternoon; my heat will lower a bit by then” Cas thinks for a second, “I could always take suppressors, but…”

“I’d rather you wouldn’t. You’ve taken suppressors most of your life, your body is detoxing, sort of speaking, don’t interrupt the process, Cas” Sam recommends.

“Just forget it, Cas, seriously. We can take care of Ben. You just go and enjoy your heat.” Sam nods and that’s it.

**

Jo grabs his hair and pulls his head back. Kissing Gabe’s neck and licking all the way to his collarbone is her new favorite thing. He tastes delicious and Jo could spend a whole day licking him. She moves up to his earlobe, biting and gently sucking, while she whispers “I never seem to get to dessert, you keep hoarding it, I guess. Now I want a double treat”, tongue darted out playing with his earlobe and fingers unbuttoning his shirt.

Hard as he finds it to breathe, Gabe tries to win some control back, but she won’t retreat… she might later, but not right now; Jo pecks him on the lips and fixing their eyes she tells him, “Stay still. Maybe later I’ll let you use that cherry.” Her hand is inside his shirt now, exploring his chest, nails casually scratching his nipples. She’s killing him, Gabe pants and moans.

The shirt is finally off and now Gabe has two hands on him, touching, pressing his chest, feeling every muscle twist under the finger pressure. She manhandles him to the couch, and Gabe won’t say anything… he can’t, he’s been waiting for this for a while now; all the teasing, the sexting and the dates (the freaking dates) gave him nothing more than an amount of wanting hard to cope with. So when Jo tells him that later they’d move it to the bed, all he can do is nod. “I want you now and here” and if Gabe’s grin would turn any bigger his face would probably break. “You know I haven’t tied your hands… yet… right?” she smirks.

Gabe would feel like a fool if he were himself; but being himself is a compliment he can’t call upon because he’s not sure what or who he is anymore. He grabs her by the waist and sweeps his hand on Jo’s back, nails doodling, scratching and teasing. His fingers magically find her dress zipper, so starts unfastening it, but Jo pats his hand. “No” she says with authority, kissing him once more and, breaking the contact, she stands up.

She goes to her knees and Gabe forgets how to breathe again. Jo starts undressing him, taking his shoes and socks off, unzipping his jeans. “Remove them, baby” and she stands up without breaking eye contact. Jo observes how fast Gabe gets rid of all his clothes. She turns around, looks at him over her shoulder biting her fingertip… “Stay put, Gabe.” The very aroused and very naked man nods, mouth open and panting. With her back on him she moves her long blond hair from a cascade on her back to over her right shoulder, takes the chain decoration on the top of the zipper and in a single calculated move, the dress falls to the floor. Jo steps out of it, turns around and Gabriel stops breathing altogether.

She’s a sight, the most beautiful sight Gabe has ever seen. Golden tan, perky breasts, perfect size topped with mint round nipples. Oh, man, she’s got a belly piercing. Gabe could die happily now; he’s known perfection; thank you very much.

She’s all perfect and she’s there, and she’s all his… for a while at least; or maybe he is hers. Whichever the order, they’re here and this is happening. So sue him if he’s having a hard time collecting himself.

Gabe wants to touch her; he wants to take control; but Jo’s eyes give him a warning. So he stays still. She has to know the effect she has on him. “You like what you see?” she teases touching her own cribs, casually cupping her breasts and leaning closer to him but not quite there yet.

“Like? Oh, Baby, understatement. The things I want to do to you should probably be illegal.” She laughs a little and gets even closer, kissing him and lying on top of him, mounting him, moving her hips, leaning in to kiss him. “You can touch now. It’s allowed, baby.”

He cups her bum and claws leaving beautiful marks on the golden tan skin (she sunbathes naked, shit). She moans and kisses him deeply, firmly stroking his chest while her lips trace paths along his neck kissing his collarbone, his jaw and slightly sucking his chin.

Now this is too much, Gabe grabs her hair and kisses her deeply, pulling a little harder and looking into her eyes. She says nothing so he keeps a tight grip and moves her head to kiss her neck and earlobe. “You kill me” he whispers with a sigh, his breath hot over her skin sending shivers to her spine; she moans at the sensation of her breast being cupped, Gabe’s fingers playing with her nipple. An involuntary sound comes out of her mouth as he keeps on playing with her breast and kissing behind her ear. She fondles and then takes his nipples between her fingers, twisting a bit. Gabe can’t play the ‘wanting game’ anymore, he  _has_  to act; so he moves upfront and takes her breasts one at a time, biting, kissing and sucking, and his moans echo in the room.

They mark each other with their nails, their teeth and lips. They suddenly stop, taking a few seconds to look into their eyes, like taking notes of the change of color in their irises. Jo’s mouth lifts a bit on the corner as she slides sideways onto the floor, kneeling in front of him again, her intention clear enough to make Gabe’s cock twist in anticipation.

Jo blows a kiss while scratching his thigh harder than needed, winks and leans to plant kisses all over his thighs, biting a bit and Gabe pants. “C’mon, pumpkin, don’t lose focus”. She looks up crooking an eyebrow and stands up… openmouthed Gabe watches her walk to the kitchen and drink a bottle of cold water. “Shit, Jo, fuck girl, please”.

“Uh? Sorry, but you said I’d lost focus, Baby?” Jo bitch face is epic.

“Oh shit, I’ll shut up now. Sorry, pumpkin.”

She plays with the bottle and her mouth a few more seconds, teasing him, provoking him. “The couch is boring… I’ll change the location” and she turns around, touching herself, looking everywhere, as if she was really considering something else than the bed.

Gabe is enjoying the show but he’s also about to explode. “Jo, we can use any surface, just pick one already!”

Jo looks at him, chins up, hand on hip and fingers tapping. “Well, maybe the couch is not that boring, after all” and jumps on him, kissing hard, biting lips, tongues exploring each other mouths, licking teeth and lips, tasting, sucking, and moaning all the way.

Down on her knees again, she travels his chest with her mouth, kisses his belly button and licks her way south. Gabe remembers he needs to breathe when he feels dizzy, takes a deep breath right at the moment when Jo blows air to his shaft tip, travels the length of his dick with her tongue and the way up again… and there, without any warning, she swallows him whole. She plays with her tongue all around his shaft and he can’t… “Baby, please… don’t… stop please… stop or I’ll… OH MY GOD…please!!” Jo squeezes the base of his cock and sucks circling the head in a really slow motion.

“Condoms, Gabe? My purse is too far away” she says licking in between each word and if Gabriel faints it’s her fault only.

“Jean… back pocket… wallet… God…” His eyes are black from arousal, he looks confused… too much blood travelling south already for his words to form a phrase, all he can do is mumble. He feels Jo’s hand rolling the condom down his dick and it takes all the self-control he usually doesn’t have not to come in her hand. She mounts him and while kissing tongue deep uses a hand to position him on her entrance, slowly pushing herself down to accept him inside.

At that point Gabe can’t think anymore, he grabs her by the hips and thrusts up, sinking hard into her, creating a pace that is both animal and ferocious; now Jo lets him take the lead, so Gabe moves fast and steady. She wails his name and pushes harder on him. “C’mon, big boy… you can do better! Show me… show me how good you are!”

Gabriel sits halfway and manhandles her into a better position to move and make her scream his name, he pulls her hair with a hand and with the other on her back he pulls her down by the shoulder; his feet on the floor to get better traction, the rhythm rough and fast.

Gabriel sets the pace and Jo moves along, up and down she goes, impaling herself onto her lover’s cock, moaning, screaming, breathing into Gabe’s mouth. He fondles her ass and moves his mouth to her nipples, biting and sucking hard, driving her even crazier. “Oh God, Gabe, please…Fuck I’m close… please more!”

Everything is a confusion of hands, mouths, touches, names cried out loud as the pace fastens and their bodies get greedier and desperate for more. Gabe pulls her hair trying to continue to control the pace but Jo is beyond the point of control, she moves faster, driving him deeper inside her, his knot beginning to form, trapping her into position, but she goes on moving and with his hands all over her and Gabe’s name in a scream as she comes hard with her nails deep inside his chest skin. The spasms of Jo’s orgasm and the look on her face as she is descending from it make Gabe come too. And he does it with a loud scream that sounds like her name and a curse, at the same time. His first milking drowns his voice and he has to take a few seconds to get down that cloud.

When she collapses on him Jo kisses all over his face. “I’m hungry, I need food” and makes a sudden move, making Gabe hiss and only then she remembers what the knot she feels inside means. Well, sue her, she was a little distracted.

“Oh, girl, I don’t think we’re gonna move for a while now” he reminds her with a tiny kiss on the tip of the nose. “Just relax and enjoy the perks of a very long orgasm.”

She pouts and moves her hips, making Gabe moan really loud and squeezing a new load of cum inside her, feeling a new orgasm build inside her belly. Oh yes, now she fully remembers, sex with an Alpha is the best, even better than any food she could crave. So she stays there, milking him away and receiving in return orgasm after orgasm.

About half an hour later the knot recedes and she forces him to his feet. “Bath NOW, Gabe… you owe me dinner… I’ll tell you what to do with the cherry and the cream afterwards.” She goes to her purse and takes out a tiny little thong and a small top. “Hurry boy, or I’ll start with the cherry by myself.”

He goes after her into the shower and grins at the unspoken promise of food and more sex.

All Gabe can think of is ‘Life is good’.

**

Jo goes back to the Manor on Monday. She’s got an early shift at the restaurant and has to be there by eleven to help with lunch rush hour.

Of course she has to change clothes first; her only outfit for the weekend was her skin. The dress only helped her to stay out of jail for public indecency on her way home.

She enters and finds Ruby at home. She had a severe case of morning sickness so she decided to stay at home; also, even when she trusts Sally with her life, she didn’t feel comfortable to leave Ben under her care while his dad is… busy.

So Ruby is seated in the back garden, by the pool, feet on the grass, sunbathing while Ben is swimming or snorkeling or whatever the kid is doing. He’s been in the water for two hours now; she’ll have to check if he’s grown fish fins before Dean comes back from his… thing.

“Rubs, morning!” Jo sits beside her and yells at Ben. “Hey there, Brat! Turned into mermaid yet?” Ben laughs showing his tongue at her and disappears under water again.

“You had a nice weekend, I assume by the look of your happy face.”

“Nice? Oh, sis… it was plain A.MA.ZING. He’s like… WOW. The sex… oh man…” Ruby waits for Jo to continue but she gets some lemonade and lies back on the wooden chair.

“You’re serious? You’re gonna stop there, Harvelle? Remember I got a direct line to Lawrence… Oh, don’t think I wouldn’t because I totally would… now spill.” 

“Alright… alright. I like him, okay? I mean, he’s an Alpha! Last time I had one I was a girl. I had forgotten how awesome and exhausting it can be. I also remembered too late that not every position works for knotting. Too bad, because bed is not my favorite place but next time I’ll think it twice before getting knotted in the couch… half an hour and many orgasms later I could hardly move anymore, if you know what I mean. Next time, bed it is; half an hour of knotted pleasure is worth it.”

“Yeah, it’s mind changing, isn’t it? The urge of the first times makes you forget about a lot of things; a suitable place is one of them. A bed is the best option but a fake fur rug might work too.” Sisters-in-law comparing notes, awesome! “For me the single thing that took me a while to remember was that quickies are off the table. I used to love to sneak into the kitchen at night and have fun… I had to kiss that good bye too, at least when the house is full. But, you know, it’s still worth it.”

“Yeah, now I know what you mean; spending time with Gabe is amazing and I’d really like to pursue this relationship, wherever it might take us.” She ponders for a few minutes if this thing with Gabriel is going anywhere; she’s got time, they’ll figure it out. “But enough about me. I came to check on you before going to work, Ruby. How are you feeling? Taking things easy and caring for my niece?”

“Or nephew; and yes, Jo, I am. Today I only made two phone calls and checked a script Kevin sent me yesterday. Ben’s hungry, I was about to cook something since our cook is… busy.”

Jo makes a face, knowing exactly what kind of busy Dean and Cas are into. They get to the kitchen to make some sandwiches and continue talking for a while until Jo has to leave.

“Pass me the mayonnaise, please” Ruby asks. “I am pretty bored, you know, I am not used to stay at home doing nothing. Thank Chuck for Ben visiting us, he keeps me busy. This morning, for example, I was watching morning TV and I realized it really sucks… Ben convinced me to start watching some shows, he mentioned Doctor Who and Grimm, I think we’ll watch one of them this afternoon.”

“That’s sweet! So the little thick is behaving, uh? He’s a good boy, I ‘m glad he’s here, I’ve missed him.” Jo looks out of the window and sees Ben coming out of the pool and already hitting a soccer ball. “Just promise to take it easy, you’re getting married in five days and we have a dinner in two.”

“I know, right? I have a million things to do, details to check and options to approve. I think I’ll go insane” Ruby sighs, already tired.

“The hell you’re gonna, that’s what you have a wedding planner for” Jo warns her.

“Yes, I know you’re right. I’ll do it all from the couch over the phone and laptop. I promise.”

Jo nods smiling. “I’ll check you comply that promise, so…” and leaves to get ready to leave.

“Ben! Lunch is ready!” Ruby shouts at Ben, taking the sandwiches to the TV room to start the Doctor Who marathon.

**

Ben is explaining the basic details of the show with a passion that reminds her of her fiancée, this British show is her man’s favorite so now she’s gonna have something else to share with him.

They start with the Ninth Doctor season, and while the Doctor fights a mannequin arm in Rose’s living room, Ruby feels something strange, some sound coming to her brain from her belly, as if something would be stretching through a veil and trying to talk to her; just a very basic form of communication. She stops paying attention to the living mannequins on the screen while Ben laughs and points at the TV where plastic!Micky’s head makes a flip over his shoulders, repeating the script lines by heart; she concentrates on Baby W. instead. She knows by now it’s a boy, and her baby boy is sending some kind of weird waves her way.

“I’ll be right back, Ben, gonna bring some apple juice, alright?” Ben nods, eyes fixed on the TV.

She goes to the kitchen, takes two glasses and opens the fridge to take the apple juice out. Being in her 6th week of pregnancy, Ruby knows Baby W. is a small amount of cells in formation with two black dots for eyes, his heart beats 160 times per minute and the auditory system is still incomplete. Despite all that her son is trying to communicate with her. She has to sit for a moment and concentrate in the waves of thought she’s feeling. A warm love feeling invades her. It takes her by surprise and her heart almost explodes in her chest, tears filling her eyes and she starts chanting, “Mommy loves you, Baby. Momma’s the happiest mom in the world. Daddy’s gonna be home soon. You want him to talk to you? Would it make you happy?” she feels the Baby’s joy and it brightens her heart. She keeps talking and singing to her belly and hopes Ben won’t mind to wait a while for the juice, her baby is talking to her and she loves listening to him.

**

It’s Wednesday afternoon and everybody is getting ready for dinner. In their bedroom Ruby is sit by the dressing table putting on some light make up and Sam is getting dressed.

“Honey, do you think Ellen and Bobby will make it on time?”

“Dean must have picked them up about an hour ago, they should be here in a few minutes” Sam tells her. “Stop worrying, girl” he kisses the crown of her head and continues putting his shoes on, “Uh, get this… I lost my shoe.”

“it’s underneath the bed, dumbass” she laughs.

Ruby is at the point of panicking, she’s really nervous, almost freaking out. Everything, the whole wedding show has to be perfect. The MetaAlpha consul confirmed his attendance yesterday with an apology for the late confirmation (Busy guy, right, jackass). Ruby looks at her reflection in the mirror and freezes. What if… but Sam calls her back to reality asking for her help to knot his tie.

He feels, since he is her mate, that she is terribly nervous, so he tries to calm her down, smoothing her. He makes a little mistake, though, because he tries to put sense into her but she won’t take any new age psychology crap; she’s a bride with her wedding around the corner and she’s pregnant. Just give her a fucking break, thank you very much.

But Sammy has a way of doing things that always end up in relaxing her. “Baby, please, everything’s gonna be alright, please stop worrying! Jenny is good and we’ve got a million hands helping us, just STOP!” She hyperventilates. “Rubs, please, breath… please, honey, think about the baby, c’mon, breath with me… in… out… good, that’s better?” She nods, always trying to follow Sam’s breathing rhythm.

“Ok, babe, I’m alright now. Thank you, honey. I love you so much.” They kiss chaste but hug tight. “I think I heard the door, my family must be here. Let’s go downstairs. Alright?” She looks into his eyes, grateful and full of love.

“Yes, baby, let’s do that.” Sam kisses her nose and breaks the hug to go and meet his in-laws.

**

The dinner rehearsal is perfect, from the dishes prepared by Cas’ restaurant to the arrangements. Ruby relaxes a bit when both Shurleys and Winchesters get along as if they’d known each other forever, the conversation comes easy and the laughter even easier.

After dinner and before dessert they dance a little, nobody stays at the table, Ben is too shy to dance but Jo won’t take  _no_  for an answer so he ends up jumping and rolling with her; even Dean and Cas join the dancing floor.

Ruby is glowing and Cas can’t help to feel a pinch of jealousy, he’s always wanted to get married, he had always thought he would never made it. Now it’s not impossible. He wants this too, eventually. Seeing Dean standing in front of everybody, makes him wonder when it’s gonna be their turn and his heart shines brighter with anticipation. He wants to marry Dean, spend their lives enjoying each other, raising a family of their own and grow older together surrounded by their children and grandchildren. Distracted by his own thoughts Cas finds Dean looking at Sam with so much pride Cas knows it must hurt.

Ever since falling in love with Dean, Castiel has wondered if there was any chance that he could love Dean more. He’s certain now. His love grows bigger by the second.


	26. With your love I'm free

Saturday 3AM and Ruby is still restless; tossing and turning. Fortunately it’s a king size bed and Sam, as usual, is fast asleep next to her, otherwise he would have never got any sleep at all. Worse, he would have preached about how she should relax and sleep, for the baby and for the wedding; all the  _beauty sleep_  crap everybody’s been telling her about. She’s nervous, she’s getting married to a MetaAlpha after all and that means that not only does she get to share the rest of her life with the man she loves (which is great) but also they’ll have to put up with all the Meta circus (which sucks big time).

She never meant to invite all those fancy bastards, never wanted people like that at her wedding, people who look down at the rest of the genders, as if they were better and the rest existed only because they allow them to. Not her kind of people.

Unfortunately Sam is a Meta and this is something they can’t avoid. Ruby is certain he feels the same way; all they wanted was a small wedding surrounded by their family and friends. But along with his gender designation comes responsibility. The Meta office provides the likes of Sam with education, housing and everything but food. Sounds like a great deal, especially when you’re a boy from Kansas with no money and only your big brother- only four years your older- to support you; your surrogate parents as poor as yourself. No, Ruby is not that stupid; she knows this is good for her man, so she’ll play along… no one is forcing her to enjoy  _them_.

_3.20AM. Okay, stop it now. Let’s come to an agreement, brain. You stop getting upset about things you can’t change and I'll get some sleep. Family and friends are gonna be there, you’ll enjoy THEM. Fuck the consul and the Meta office. Breathe, woman, fucking breathe._

She tries to do some of the breathing exercises she had learnt back in her very early twenties, tries to set her mind blank and relax; that’s when she hears… or feels, no, she  _senses_  Baby W. Ruby doesn’t make any specific thought out of the connection, what she feels is a warm light wrapping her up, only then and with a smile, she falls asleep and dreams little dreams of him.

The morning breaks, sun rise over a deep blue sky, not a cloud in sight. It’s going to be a beautiful day. Ruby wakes up to Sammy kissing her and caressing her belly. “Morning, Bride.”

“Morning, Groom” she returns the kiss. “What smells so good?”

“Cas brought us breakfast, something light he said, but enough nutrients for you and Baby W. I love the guy” he grins and sets the tray between them.

They finish eating and start preparing themselves. Sam watches Ruby's ever-growing nervousness, they shower and Sam leaves the room for the bride party to enter and help her with her hairdo, make up and dressing. Sammy knows better than to argue so he accepts the fact that Ruby will turn into a Bridezilla, no way to help it. Back in the guest room that became his barrack for the wedding preparation, he watches his tux and paces up and down the room.

Everything is set in motion and now it’s Dean’s turn to panic. Ben is sat on the couch, PlayStation on and bow tie in place, and watches with the corner of his eye that his Dad is white as a ghost, he's just realized he has to say a speech in front of almost two hundred guests. He’s been rehearsing it in front of Cas for days now and he almost knows it by heart; still that doesn’t make it any easier.

Castiel is freaking out because he can’t supervise the food or the staff. He promised Ruby to leave everything in his associate’s hands and enjoy the party; he’s family after all for Chuck’s sake! Yet his Mate’s brother’s wedding is highly important for his restaurant and everything should be perfect. He does trust Charlie to make it right, but he’s not used to hand the whole organization to someone else. Talking about OCD, right?

**

“Hey Matt! Charlie Bradbury, yes… not good, buddy, not good. We’ve got a problem. Are you free today?” she whispers on the phone.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Listen, this is an emergency, we’re at the Winchester’s Wedding and Alfie… Alfie is not here and I can’t find him. I don’t know what’s wrong with the kid. Do you happen to have a sous and a busboy to spare, maybe?” She knows it’s a long shot but hey, she’s desperate. “Or, I don’t know, maybe I should call Mark or David?...  _PleaseSayYes_ , Matt,  _PLEASESAYYES_!!”        

“Easy, girl! Drop the panic! Give me a minute and I’ll check.” He leaves her holding for about two minutes (or a life time, if you’d asked Charlie). “It’s your lucky day, Char! I’m all in. I’ve got full crew today so I can call one of my temps as busboy and also go myself… I guess they’re not gonna miss me, given the shouts of joy I’ve just heard while leaving the kitchen… the fuckers; we’ll see who laughs harder when they get their paychecks.”

A sigh of relief escapes Char’s mouth. “Oh, God, thank you, Matt. I owe you big time. Let me know when you contact your temp, alright? See you here then, I’ll text you the address.”

“You do that, girl. And tell Castiel not to worry. I got your backs!”

“Yeah, about that… Cassie doesn’t know yet, or you’d know what it is to panic. See you in half an hour then?”

“Make it an hour, Char. I’m gonna pick up Jamie and we’ll be there.” Matt hangs up and Charlie breaths even for the first time in hours.

**

“Boy, stop pacing on the rug, you’re leaving a path after you.” Ellen tries to call Dean’s attention, her kid is about to have a nervous breakdown.

Dean is not used to speaking in public, let alone with all the Meta authorities among them. But this is Sam’s wedding we’re talking about so there’s no way he’s gonna fail his baby bro. Now, how he’s gonna do it… that’s another story.

“Dean, seriously son, you’re gonna be alright!” She stops him, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him a little too tough. Jo is watching the whole interaction from the couch next to Ben.

“I don’t know El. This is gonna be a mess, what if I mess it up for Sam and Ruby? Fuck, I need a drink.”

“I’m on it, bro!” says Jo coming from the bar with the drink she absolutely knew Dean was craving for. Of course she knows better, she’s almost a Winchester by own right.

“Jo, you’re a saint.” Dean drinks a small amount of bourbon and relaxes a little bit.

Ben hears children outside and turns the PlayStation off. “Dad, can I go outside and play?”

“Just don’t run and mess up your tux, alright? And stay close; you’re supposed to carry the rings after all.” Dean sighs as the kid goes out, happy to have him at a family event such as this. He keeps looking at the glass door as if expecting someone to show up.

All he can think of is how good it would feel right now to touch and kiss Castiel. Nothing can soothe him better than his mate. An interesting consideration given that all your life you thought mating was just bullshit.

The bourbon is okay, Jo sees him relaxing his shoulders but his eyes are still showing enough stress; he’s paying no attention at all to Ellen’s words so Jo knows what she has to do but she’s still a bit reluctant. Only when Dean looks at her with pleading eyes, she sighs and leaves the room saying “I’ll go find him”.

Her times as part of the  _let’s-get-Dean-and-Castiel-apart team_  are officially over. She may not be completely fond of Castiel but at least she’s speaking to him and started acting more like herself around them.

Alone in the room now, Ellen cups Dean’s face and speaks tenderly. “Son, I’m no fool. I think you’re nervous for a lot more than the speech. Am I right, honey?” Ellen knows him so well, he’s nervous because Sam’s wedding and the Meta circus makes him think about his own due date with the law, but more about the urge he’s having lately. He’ll have to talk to Castiel sooner or later. “Just do it, son. He’ll understand. He is your mate, we all can see that he loves you; he won’t mind getting married so soon after you’ve met.”

Dean can’t speak, too overwhelmed to even think; but deep inside he knows Ellen is right. He looks into her teary eyes, her face bright and smiley. They hug and Dean holds her real tight. Ellen’s heart is full of joy; her kids are so grown up.

**

“What are you so nervous about,  _idjit_? Everything is gonna be alright.” Sweet Bobby tries to calm Sam down the only way he knows. “She’s gonna be okay.”

“No, Bobby, she’s won’t. She’s been acting like nuts since Monday; it’s been impossible to talk to her to take it easy, you know, with the baby and all.” Oh crap, Sam swallows a curse, he’s just screwed it.

“Baby? What baby? What the hell you’re talking about, moron?”

Ash looks at them understanding exactly nothing, and he’s not even high, so drops it and goes back to his PSP.

They had decided not to tell anyone in the family because they wanted to make the announcement right after the honeymoon. The hell with it, the damage is done. “Bobby, Ruby’s pregnant” Sam whispers to his Dad with his best joyful puppy face.

The look in Bobby’s face can only be called  _pride._  “Oh boy, that’s awesome news! C’mere and hug your old man.” He hugs and pats Sam’s back and Sam could have sworn he heard Bobby sobbing. “You have to tell Ellen.”

“Bobby, I was not supposed to tell a soul. Dean, Jo and Cas are the only ones we’ve told. We were waiting for after the honeymoon; we didn’t want to jinx it, you know” Sam shurgs.

“She’s gonna be a grandma, you should tell her. She should know, son.”

“Yeah… I get it, maybe later” Sam agrees.

**

Castiel is freaking out. He looks through the kitchen window out to the catering area and he  _needs_  to be there, checking it all and organizing the staff. Only he has promised Ruby he won’t do any of that and that he’ll enjoy the party.

But his business is in jeopardy and this is his best opportunity to really get the Angel’s Pit on the map. This is their first main event, a Meta wedding, perfect chance to make it right once and for all.

No, he can’t leave their business future in Charlies’ shoulders; it wouldn’t be fair to her. He goes through the kitchen door into the catering tent on the patio and starts checking it all. Charlie is supervising the dishes and making last minute touches to the most beautiful big red, white and light blue wedding cake ever.

                                                            

 

Charlie made a beautiful work. The cake is huge and beautiful. It matches perfectly the Meta standards. So that relaxes Cas a little bit. Now he has to check the food area but Char cuts him cold. “Where d’ya think you’re going, mister?” Castiel starts to protest but Charlie just stops him. “You’ve got nothing to do here, Bride’s orders. Shu shu… get outta here!”

So he starts heading back inside when Jo takes him by the arm. “Going back in, Novak?”

“Yes, but only because I’ve got no other choice” Cas replies quite bitterly.

“Good. Come with me, Dean needs you. He’s freaking out” and starts walking, hand on his shoulder. “ _He_  needs you, Castiel.”

Cas lets her take him to Dean, even though he knows exactly where his mate is. He’s worried about Dean but he already knows what the problem is. Dean not only is worried about delivering a speech in front of a large audience but also about its content. Of all the times he has gone through it, rehearsing it in their bedroom, not even once he could go through his mother’s name without a cracking voice. So being aware of this, he takes a few seconds to wander about the change in Jo’s behavior towards him: she’s relaxed and, little by little, accepting the fact that Dean and him are forever.

Castiel could have bet his brother has a lot to do with it. Bless him.

**

It’s early in the morning and Alfie should be getting ready to go to the Winchester’s but he can’t move. He’s worried. He’s actually really honestly worried. She called him for a meeting and he can’t say no. Well, he  _can_  but he  _won’t_ , he doesn’t want to.

He’s been sitting in a booth at the meeting point for a long time now. She had called in to tell him she was on her way. Alfie thinks she must have moved to Washington because she is taking her damn time to arrive, he’s been waiting for her for over two hours and he is already into a panic attack. Why does she keep on doing this to him? He’s done everything she had asked.

Two and a half hours too late she finally arrives, she gives him a kiss on his cheek; his heart fastens, his hope back. He waves the waitress but she rushes to take his hand. “Don’t, I can’t stay too long.”

“What? But I waited for you for almost three hours and you’ve been avoiding me like forever now. What do you mean you can’t stay?” ‘ _Oh, please, no… please, don’t do this to me_ ’ it’s all that crosses Alfie’s mind.

A small bag sled his way over the table is her only answer. “What? I… I don’t… “

“You need to fly out of town; you have to disappear for a while, Alfie. This is getting complicated and we don’t need to make it worse” she cryptically says.

“Yeah, I see. You’re coming with me?” Oh, but he already knows the answer. Dammit.

“I wish I could, my love, but I can’t. I have to stay and keep my cover. You know that” She says, liar forked-tongue bitch. “It’s better if we don’t see each other anymore, for a long while at least”  _‘Or forever_ ’, is what he hears.

“Wait… so, everything I did because you’d promised me it was the only way for us to be together was nothing? You’re leaving me behind after I almost…” he starts getting angry. “I can’t believe it… I cannot fucking believe it… you, you said—you said you loved me… shit.” The woman only looks at him without even a pinch of pity in her eyes. “It’s not fair, I waited for you… YOU PROMISED!”

But she stays silent so he finally understands it’s no use. She had used him and he had let her. Alfie feels so stupid. It’s over, that much is obvious, and he should stop making a fool of himself in front of this woman he had thought had loved him. So he takes the bag, stares at her for a second and leaves the place before his eyes betray him and start leaking salty frustration.

Alfie storms out of the café, walks down the street without direction, he probably should be heading to the wedding but a quick glimpse to his phone makes him realize it’s way too late. Hell, it’s too late even to call Charlie and apologize; even getting a replacement is out of the question. Alfie’s last opportunity to make amends with his bosses is gone. Another fucking failure, great.

Alfie takes a cab, not in the mood to wait for the bus or even walk anymore. Once he sits, he opens the bag and gasps. There’s gotta be at least a hundred thousand dollars, that’s--- well, that’s enough to live for years if he were to be careful with it, way too much money… more than he had ever dreamed of. He walks into his apartment and cries himself to sleep.

**

Ruby, petticoat bouncing, hairdo ready and make up on, should be relaxing. Instead, she’s pacing the bedroom and is about to hyperventilate. Her mom, sister, and bridesmaid are talking her out of her state of overexcitement. Or so they try. She wouldn’t listen; not because she doesn’t want to, but because she is having a small panic attack. Small as in the interior of the TARDIS; oh, God no, why did she agree to watch that show?

“Ruby stop, please!” her mom pleads with her.

“But Mom, what if…?” Ruby starts her avalanche of imaginary disasters waiting to happen but Andrea cuts her.

“What if the Sun explodes or the Moon falls off the sky or, worse! Imagine the Earth stops spinning!” She mocks her. “Or… wait! This is better. What if a lightning bolt strikes and sets the tent on fire?” Andrea gives her a weary look, this has gone too far, she has to stop and compose herself.

Ruby stops for a moment, looks at her friend and takes a deep breath. “Okay, you’re right, sorry.” Andrea smiles at her and they hug, Ruby whispering her thanks.

Mary Anne claps her hands and takes her daughter by the shoulders. “C’mon honey… it’s your big day, just relax and enjoy. Let’s put on your dress and retouch the makeup. The photographer is waiting to take the family portraits. You look lovely, dear. Now let’s relax, shall we?”

Ruby smiles wide and allows herself to calm down. This is it, the moment of truth and there is nothing else she can change or do about anything. So, yes, she will trust the army of people helping them to make this wedding perfect.

**

The only family member enjoying himself is Ben.

**

The short hallway from the kitchen to the living room was made in the blink of an eye, Jo was left behind once they’d entered the house and Castiel basically runs towards his man.

“Love, what happened? Are you okay?” Cas hugs Dean tight, shaking, almost terrified at what his mate was going through. He knew what it was about but still in the few seconds that took him to get in the same room as Dean all his logic and understanding had left him. A basic instinct won and he could feel his skin warmth change giving the stress of being apart from his mate in a moment of need.

Ellen takes the hint and leaves the room quietly, taking Jo with her.

“It’s okay, Babe” Dean whispers kissing Cas’ forehead. “A million things and nothing happened at the same time. It’s nothing related to the wedding; that’s happening in a few minutes and there’s nothing stopping it.” He parts the hug to look into Cas’ wide eyes, sighs and takes courage. “It’s something related to us but there’s no time now. We’ll have to talk tomorrow or the day after.” He kisses Cas’ lips chastely. “What I need now is you” and the kiss deepens.

They stay in the middle of the room kissing for comfort, out of love and need for confirmation. “I suppose I’ll have to wait for that conversation, then. Kiss me again, Love”. There’s no rush, no promise of sex or anything else than just holding each other close.

Dean’s concerns and stress leave his mind, he’s relaxed for the first time today. He knows Castiel’s pheromones are the ones to thank but he doesn’t care. Cas’ skin perfume is the best smell of the world and he could stay there forever.

**

It’s time. Finally! No more tension. This is happening and everybody just forgets the morning stress. Family and Meta authorities seated in the first rows, everybody elegant and smiling; Castiel, sitting in first row can’t stop looking at Dean, so handsome in his tuxedo, Cas feels as if his heart tries to leave his chest probably to fly towards  his mate.

Sam is standing between Ellen and the officiant; she’s glowing with joy and keeps her head up high with pride for her baby boy.

The procession begins. Ben comes first, all handsome in his tux, perfect hair and rings on a platter. Laura and Benny follow, then Kevin and Ruby’s sister, and then Dean and Andrea last. The flower girl, Ruby’s cousin, is spreading  _forget-me-nots_  all over the aisle. All his friends take their places smiling at Sam. He takes a deep breath when the music stops, closes his eyes for a few seconds and, at the sound of  _aws_  and  _ohs_  he looks up. She’s a sight, beautiful and incredible. The second he locks eyes with Ruby, Sam stops breathing, and forgets to close his mouth. Dean catches a glimpse on him and snorts, gaining a warning look from Ellen.

“Dude, breath please!” Dean whispers through the corner of his closed mouth over Ellen’s shoulder.

Ruby walks slowly along the aisle with her father escorting her, all the way looking at him in the eyes and smiling widely. Sam can’t help it, a single tear falls down and his smile gets bigger. That same smile that Ruby loves, it’s the best thing she’s ever seen. She finally gets to the altar and the music stops, Sam leans to kiss Ruby in the cheek and she says through her smile “Stop crying, honey, if you ruin my makeup you are dead.” She winks and Sam smiles even wider, Ruby kisses her dad and Sam kisses Ellen, so both parents go to their seats as Bride and Groom turn to face the Meta officiant.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here tonight to join this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony.

There is no greater gift than the love that makes  _two_  people  _one_. To behold this love blossoming between two hearts is always a joy, and to behold the vows of lovers as they take each to the other, throughout all the changes of life, is a glorious moment of the soul. It speaks of the great conviction by which people mutually rely upon and believe in one another. In a world where Faith often falls short of our expectation, it is a wonderful tribute to two people to see them joining hands and hearts in perfect Faith.

Please Ruby, Sam hold your hands. These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, the hands that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Ruby and Samuel, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?”

They both nod.

“Samuel, your vows please.”

Sammy takes a deep breath for the fiftieth time today, looks at Ruby with teary eyes and delivers his heart to whom it belongs.

“I, Samuel Tristan Winchester, take you, Ruby Nicole Shurley to be my wife. I knew you were the love of my life the second we met. I knew I wanted you in my life forever the moment we shared our first kiss. Only one thing I could have not guessed, and that’s that such a small package can hold so much joy and love and kindness and perfection.” Sam takes a second to breathe and smiles at her, melting Ruby’s heart in the process. “I want you to be the first sight in the morning and the last at night. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and then I want to be in heaven with you for the eternity. I promise you to be the best Sam I can be and a little more than that. I promise to be loyal and faithful. I promise to be your partner in crime, your one true love, your best friend. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come, I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep.” Sam’s tears cross his face and his big sappy smile.

“Ruby, your vows please.”

Ruby tries to keep herself together as much a she can.

“I, Ruby Nicole Shurley, take you, Samuel Tristan Winchester to be my husband.” A tear drops and she smiles at him, she can’t help it, her voice cracks a bit with emotion. “The first thing I noticed about you was your smile. I know you’re a gorgeous gigantor with perfect body and hair, eyes to sink in and a wonderful person, but your smile makes my every day, my week and even my year. I knew from that very moment, that I wanted to see that smile every day for the rest of my life. I knew from that second on that come rain or come shine I was yours forever. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and then I want to be in heaven with you for the eternity. I promise you to be the best Ruby I can be and a little more than that. I promise to be loyal and faithful. I promise to be your partner in crime, your one true love, your best friend. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come, I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep.” Ruby finishes between sobs and tears.

Ben handles the ring to Sam.

“Ruby, I give you this ring. Wear it with love and joy. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my wife this day and every day.”

Ben handles Ruby the ring.

“Sam, I give you this ring. Wear it with love and joy. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my husband this day and every day.”

“Ruby and Sam, now you have made promises to each other which will be the foundation of the wonderful marriage you are going to build. I, under the authority of the laws of the State of California, sanctioned by Divine Authority, pronounce you lawfully married, husband and wife in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. What the two of you, with the help of these, your friends and family who love you, have chosen to put together, let no one "mess with!"

“Sam, you may now kiss your bride.” And they kissed Hollywood style, making everyone laugh.

“Friends and family, I present to you Ruby and Sam Winchester.”

**

Sam and Ruby walk the aisle as husband and wife, they’re bringing home a brand new life, but almost nobody knows it just yet. They are greeted and photos are shot from every corner.  The Meta consul smiles approvingly and shakes Ellen’s hand- as the surrogate mother of the Meta- congratulating her for doing such a great job raising him.

“Thank you very much, Council, but I had some fine help from his brother, this young man’s Mate” Ellen says introducing Castiel, who would have very happily climbed under a rock.

“Pleased to meet you, Sir.” Castiel has no other option but to shake the guy’s hand.

“Yes, thank you.” the Consul promptly says and leaves towards… somewhere else.

Ellen, Bobby and Cas wait patiently for the guests to greet the newly wed and Dean joins them. He hugs Ellen first and then kisses Cas. “You were a dream up there, you know that?” He says to Dean’s ears. “I’ve seen many pretty girls sigh at your sight… got a bit jealous.”

Dean hugs him tight and laughs. “Yeah, like you’ve got anything to worry about. You’ve got me hook, line and sinker, Babe. C’mon, let’s congratulate the guys” he tells him as he takes his hand and go hug both Sam and Ruby.

So that puts an end to the ceremony, everything was perfect and beautiful. Ruby’s parents are all smile and joy; this is exactly what they had dreamt for their daughter. Ruby’s uncles spread to do some PR with some of the hot shots invited to the party.

The weather is amazing. It’s just like if everything that could have gone wrong just didn’t. There is nothing out of place, and the little things that did (one of Ruby’s aunts got a heel stuck in the grass and almost fell flat on the ground; and also… no, that was it) could not overshadow the rest.

Cocktails and hors-d’oeuvre, so fancy and Meta quality, are delivered while people talk and laugh. Everybody’s having a great time. They take seats and the busboys start bringing the meal. It all cooked perfectly and tasting like heaven.

Cas tries to enjoy the party and Dean is committed to make him forget about work. It ain’t gonna happen, though. Castiel records in his memory every face made, every comment he hears about his catering. He has to refrain himself from laughing out loud when he overhears the Consul praise his “ _poivre filet avec des pommes de terre à la crème”_ and sees him take a piece of pepper tenderloin moaning with pleasure. He dismisses Dean’s questioning look, he can explain it later.

“Hey, Dad, look!” Ben handles him a mini pie and goes to continue running among the tables with the other kids.

“Pie, man!... There’s pie for dessert! . It’s awesome, dude!... I HAVE TO HAVE this at my wedding… only larger” Dean happily says sitting at Sam’s table where Cas is already talking with the couple. He can’t help but blush at the last remark, making Sam almost spill his drink.

“We knew you’d like it, Brother.” Ruby laughs.

“Like it? No, Ruru… I don’t like it… I’m in  _love_  with it!” They manage to breathe again properly once the four of them stop laughing.

“Dean, that was some speech you gave, man. I will never thank you enough.” Sam’s eyes start watering once more.

“Dude! How many drinks did you have? You’ve thanked me five times already” Dean shoves him. “I love you too, baby brother.”

**

The music is suddenly interrupted and a voice comes out of the speakers, inviting them to the dance floor.

“It’s time for Mr and Ms Winchester’s first dance as a married couple. The bride and the groom would like you to join them after the first song.” A loud cheer and applause is heard as Sam and Ruby start their dance. They set in place, lock eyes with each other and say their ‘ _I love you’s’_  as they start moving to the music, the world disappearing around them.

More photos are taken and people get in sort of a line waiting for their turn to dance with them.

 They take their time, though. They are grateful for having each other, for the perfect party, for their families and friends. They dance in slow motion, enjoying themselves. One quick glance shows them their loved ones happily looking at them move to the music, even the consul is smiling at them… and that is really good.

The song is one they both love, “Truly” by Lionel Richie; basically because they were told that their favorite one, ‘Back in Black’, that was playing in the Jukebox the night they met, is not suitable for the Meta standards. They don’t understand why… well, they do but it’s still a pity.

The parents are the first to get a dance, all four of them; Bobby, awkward in his tux but enjoying himself, dances with Ellen until they switch and gets Ruby to properly waltz dance, leaving everyone open mouthed. Ben had to be pushed to the dance floor but, at Dean’s threatening look he lets Ruby guide his hands and moves embarrassingly, smiles for the photograph and gets his escape cut by Ellen and dances with her. “Grandma, let me go!” he giggles. “I wanna go play and have more pie!”

“Oh, little man, you have certainly spent too much time with Dean… you go and have fun.” She kisses him and pinches his cheek making him moan. “Pretty boy go get a girl and dance!”

Whatever Ben is up to, it’s not taking place on the dance floor; because he disappears along with a bunch of Ruby’s cousins.

Everybody gets their chance to dance with the happy couple and soon the music turns into dancing tunes and the dance floor gets packed. Dean lets Cas drag him and does his best to follow his mate’s moves. Dean never knew Cas could dance, and man, he’s got the moves. He stores that info for later and proper use.

Bobby pulls Ellen out of the dance floor by the hand. “I’m an old man, woman, ain’t gonna dance all night long! Pity yo’man and let’s sit for a while.”

“Bobby, you jackass, you’re always tired… I wanna have fun!” But she sees him almost panting for air so she finally agrees. She waves the busboy for drinks and sits by her man.

“Isn’t it great, Ellen? Sam is a married man, now.” Bobby looks at Ellen look at her baby boy.

“All my three children are doing great, aren’t they, Bobby?” Ellen speaks almost to herself. “Jo is working and studying, living away from home. Sam got married to an amazing woman and Dean finally met his mate, got a great job of his own” she sighs. “I’m so proud of our kids, Bobby.”

Bobby grunts at the mention of Dean’s mating but says nothing, knowing better than to argue with her. Ellen keeps thinking about her kids and she’s so happy she could die right there and it wouldn’t matter. But there is something missing, she could be even happier.

“Will we ever have that, Bobby? Will we ever live together or at least in the same city?” She turns to look at him. “I miss you so much when we’re apart, old man.” She leans to cup his face and Bobby’s look softens.

“I dunno, El. I have the autoshop and it’s not only mine, I have to keep it going for Dean also, because whenever he comes back he’s gonna take over and run it again.”

Ellen looks at him sadly, puts an arm around him and squeezes tightly. “Bobby, he’s not gonna go back to Sioux Falls, not for the time being at least. He’s building a life here and he’s happy, happier than ever before. You have to see that. He’s got both his brother and his Mate in this city… he’s not gonna go back home, love, because, for him,  _home_  is here now.”

Bobby tries to look at tough as he can, swallowing back the tears that threaten to fall. He knows she’s right but acknowledging it is something he is not ready to do. “That’s not final. He still may return to me. I don’t know, El, we’re old and let’s say Dean never comes back, which he will but let’s say he doesn’t; do you really want a boring old fart like me bothering around you all day long?”

“Robert Singer you are stupid as a bird and slow as a turtle…” and leaves the table to go dancing with Jo or risk an scene.

**

“CASTIEL!” Ruby shouts to make herself heard over the music. She takes him by the shoulder and tells him “Honey, I need a break and I know you are thinking the same, let’s go and take a seat, join me, please!” Cas nods and lets her take his arm. While walking, he looks for Dean but he must have gone to check on Ben, because he can’t find him.

“Do I look that tired that you knew I needed a break? I never thought I was so transparent.” Cas smiles warily. “Want some juice, Ruru?”

“Yes, please. Be a dear and bring me a glass. Baby W has been complaining for a while, now.” She realizes he’s looking for Sam around the dance floor, and there he is, dancing with Ellen. “No, Bro, don’t call Sammy, let him party a little longer.” She winks at him and that never fails to make him both smile and blush.

“Okay, don’t move, be back in a minute.” Cas takes the opportunity to go to the catering tent and check on Charlie. He stops cold when he sees David waving cheerfully at him and starts questioning them. “No, Cassie” Charlie cuts him. “Don’t you start worrying, okay? We needed help and nothing more. We’ll talk about this tomorrow at the restaurant. Now, go and enjoy the rest of the party as the bride ordered. Go!! Have fun, for God’s sake” she dismisses him.

“Yeah, right… we’ll talk tomorrow…” and, getting two glasses of grape juice, he goes back to Ruby. He walks looking behind his shoulder wondering what the hell have happened there.

“Here, sis. Cheers!”

They clink the glasses and Ruby distractedly says “Why is it odd that your friend David is working in the kitchen tent?” She instantly regrets saying anything, covers her mouth realizing she has never told him and now… and now there’s no option.

“Look, this is awkward and not really the moment for this kind of confession, Cas. I’m about to tell you a secret, something only a handful of people know. But you have to promise me not tell a soul; especially Dean. I promise I’ll tell him as soon as we come back from our honeymoon, it’ll be only four days, please, please, please!” Ruby begs.

“Ruru you know I won’t promise anything if I don’t know what it’s about. Especially if it means lying to Dean.”

“I know, hon; I promise it’s nothing bad or that involves Dean. it’s like when I told you that Sam likes to tie me up; not that I complain, you know.” Cas blushes and Ruby laughs.

“Girl, please… c’mon!... yeah, I get it.” and drinks his juice in a gulp.

“Prude” she laughs harder. “Well, make yourself comfortable because yes, this is that kind of story and I’m… you know what and tired.” Cas sits across her on the table and Ruby puts her feet on his lap. “Oh Chuck, I’d ask you for a foot rub if taking my shoes off were a good idea… I’m afraid that if I take them off I won’t be able to put them on again.” He still rubs her ankles and lower calves and she could have kissed him, but it would have been weird so she just sighs. “Oh that feels awesome, Cas!” as she starts her story.

“I got what Sam calls a  _power_ , but I wouldn’t call it that, feels like the wrong word choice… really not… wait, listen to me… I know, baby, I’m talking nonsense… I know, Cas… I said I know, Cas!... Castiel please stop thinking I’m crazy!... Yes… Cas… that’s what I can do… I  _kinda_  read minds… no, not all the time… doesn’t always work… only with receptive people.”

Cas’ eyes are open wide, he can’t believe this… is it some kind of trick? “No, Cas, it’s not… I can read Sam very easily. Jo is a little difficult to read. You are somewhat easy and Dean… Dean is an open book when he thinks about you and a closed bunker about the rest…. No, Cas… I don’t do it all the time… Yes, I can block it and I usually do, but sometimes some very strong or insisting thoughts filter.” She gives him a few minutes for the idea to sink. “I’m sorry I did not tell you before, Cassie, I am so so so sorry, my friend.”

Cas takes a while and she waits; he purposely pictures the naughtiest sex position ever and it’s an understatement, Ruby makes a disgusted face. “Oh God!! Why would you think of that! You tell anyone I said that about what you’ve just thought and I’ll kill you… I got a naughty reputation to keep up to.”

Castiel looks at her and smiles, everything she just said is odd, but he’s seen weirder shit; that thought makes Ruby laugh and that’s it… he just accepts it.

“It’s okay I guess, we all have secrets, you know; some bigger than others. I can keep this from Dean until you come back but then you have to tell him, I mean the very same day you come back, no delays. You know how he feels about his privacy. And about me… you’ve got my permission; I got nothing to hide from you.” He gets up and leans to hug her.

She hugs back and continues. “There’s more, and this time I bet you’ll think I’m crazy.”

“MORE? What? You can time travel too?”

“Very funny… I see that the science fiction lessons are working beautifully. No. it’s just that… the baby, Cas… I can communicate with him… he, kinda talks to me… I can sense his feelings… not even feelings, it’s like a thin line of something, I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. The only thing is that I feel his love for me. I can feel my son loving me already.”

“That’s amazing, Ruru!” Castiel hugs her again. “I could never think you’re crazy, Ruru… not this kind of crazy, anyway. Now, about your sex life sharing… oh gosh…” he makes a face and they both laugh.

“Oh, brother, I love you. Please, one more favor, please don’t tell even Sam about the baby. I know I’m asking too much, but I know I can trust you with my life.”

“Of course, Ruby, don’t worry about that… I got your back.” He winks and they continue talking about the party until Dean and Sam join them; both couples exhausted but happy.

**

At two in the morning the party ends with Ruby and Sam parting to the airport in a limo, it’s not the regular end but they are not regular folks, they do what they want, they’ve complied with every single Meta office order and now this is their life.

“Cas, you better save that dulce de leche cake for our come back or I’ll kill you.” Ruby hugs them all and gets in the limo.

So they head to Baja California for a quick honeymoon, since Sam has to go back to the hospital and Ruby is… well, you know.

Bobby, Ellen and Ash go back home the next night. Ellen and Ash have the  _Roadhouse_  to go back to and Bobby has  _Singer and sons_. Dean can tell Ellen is upset and the way she and Bobby look at each other convinces him not to even ask what the matter is. No way he’s gonna get in the middle of his parents’ argument, whatever it is.

The truth is that Bobby is being pressed by Ellen to make a decision he’s not ready to make, and he won’t give any answer; all he mumbles are excuses.

 

 


	27. Still my one and only

Sunday morning…  Well… more like noon, actually; Ben is the first one up and, preteen as he is, of course he’s already playing PlayStation and eating a slice of cake he took from the fridge, glass of milk at the side.

“Morning, Dad!” he says, eyes fixed in the game. “Cas, this cake is awesome, dude!” Still not looking up from the TV.

“Don’t ‘ _dude_ ’ my boyfriend, Ben, it’s rude.” Dean ruffles Ben’s hair on his way to the kitchen with Cas following close behind.

The Omega takes the empty dish from the couch arm and pats Ben’s shoulder while passing by. “Let the kid alone, you’ve called me worse” he jokes.

Cas puts the dish down in the sink and starts the stove to make tea. As soon as he puts the kettle to boil he’s spun and finds himself wrapped tightly around Dean’s arms and kissed softly. “Thank you, Babe” Dean whispers into Cas' mouth.

“What for, Love? Loving you? Well, you better thank me again.” Cas’ grin shows up to his eyes.

“Oh, you bet on that! Ha! But I actually meant to thank you for being so cool with Ben.” He kisses Cas' nose tip, making the other man grin wider.

“You stupid  _daddy_ , Ben is amazing. I feel I already love him like a son” Cas answers, kissing Dean deeply.

The kettle whistles and the doorbell rings at the same time.

“You get the water, I’ll get the door.” Dean turns around and goes to the front door to find a cab leaving the doorway and Lisa standing there, ready to take Ben home.

“Lis, hi. Come on in, please!”

“Hello Dean. Is Ben ready?” She enters but only a few steps in, obviously not quite comfortable with the familiar after sex looks on Dean’s face and hair. “Uhm, Dean… why do your lips and hair look as if you’ve just fucked someone while my son is in your house?”

 _‘Now, that’s chit chat’._  Dean rolls his eyes and takes a couple of deep breaths to calm down. One thing is true, Ben is in the next room and he’s not gonna start a fight with his mom.

“Lis, relax; Ben is gonna hear you, he’s just in the next room playing PSP or something.” He looks over his shoulder to make sure Ben did not hear her.

“Look, I was not just fucking anyone. I was just kissing my boyfriend in the kitchen. So stop it, you’ve been dating Chad for a while now and I doubt your relationship remains platonic.” He turns at the sound of steps to find Cas coming their way. “Oh, awesome; Lis this is Castiel, my boyfriend. Cas, this is Lisa, Ben’s mom.”

Cas smiles with his lips tightly shut and the smile is definitely not reaching his eyes, he speaks politely but without a hint of sincerity. “Pleased to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you this past week.”

“Unlike me, forgive me if I steal your…  _boyfriend_  for a private talk, please.”

Cas nods and Dean takes Lis to the kitchen, but stops halfway. “Cas, Babe, could you tell Ben his mom’s here and that he needs to finish packing? Come over, Lis.”

Once in the kitchen Lis turns over her heels and … and well, she does everything but hit him.

“What’s this, Dean?  _WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS_?!”

“What the fuck is  _what_ , Lis? Would you please calm the fuck down?”

“This… Castiel guy. Here, with you… what the hell?” She takes her head within her hands, beginning to lose it. “You… Dean  _you_  left  _ME_  and now you’re banging dudes? Or was I so bad you decided to stop liking women altogether?” her voice always increasing.

“Lis… no, I am not doing this again. I left because we were not good for each other. We were hurting each other. I’ve always loved you. Back then I really wanted to move in and make you and Ben my family but we… US, were not working, Lis. You  _know_  that… you  _have_  to  _remember_!” Dean takes a moment to calm down and avoid raising his voice higher. “The reason I left was not lack of love, it was not any chick or dude, and there was nothing in between but US.”

“So what, now you go around fucking dudes? I still don’t believe this… I left my son with you, Dean! And you’ve got your lover in the same house and go around kissing and God knows what else with my son in the next room.”

“Enough, Lis, show some respect for my mate, alright? I understand this is a big shock for you… hell, it was a massive shock for me too, but he’s not some random dude, okay? He’s my MATE, Lis. He’s an Omega and  _MY MATE_ , so don’t disrespect him, please.” He pauses a moment. “It’s not men… it’s just him.” He shrugs smiling the only way he knows when talking about Cas…with love showing in his eyes.

“Well… I see… mate, uh? Big deal, right?” Her voice has softened, as if trying to understand.

“Yes, the biggest deal of my life, Lis... sorry, but he is. Cas is awesome, Lis, you have to really get to know him, you’ll love him too. He’s confident, gorgeous as you’ve already seen; he stands by his own needs and desires. He co-owns a restaurant, he’s been supporting himself for years, he’s independent and the opposite of shy or needy. He’s sweet and tender, and I am so fucking doomed, Lis” he says with a sweet smile, like the one he used to give her every morning when they to lived together and were desperately in love.

“I’ve fallen for him almost as soon as I met him; when we’re apart I find it hard to even breathe. I’m even considering popping the question. Yeah, I’m surprised too.”

“I’m sorry US did not work, Lis. I just would really like we could be friends… really friends, there are things we need to work out for the sake of Ben. I still love you, Lis… as a friend.” He takes her hands and she looks at them, feeling the familiar warmth of his skin, no desire, only comfort…

“I do too, Dean. You were always my best friend. I want my friend back.” She looks up and smiles.

“Let’s go and find Ben. I bet he managed to make Cas play Assassin’s creed or God of war… either game my mate is probably already dead by now.” As they enter the hallway, he says: “Ellen and Bobby stayed here for a few days and spoiled him big time, bought him lots of stuff; Sam and Ruby as well, but Ruby decided to go crazy decorating his bedroom so… he’s got like a lot to pack. Oh, and… uhm you see…” he stops and faces her again, lowering his voice and trying to find the words.

“Well… this is harder than I thought…. You see, last week he spent about thirty six hours or so with Sammy and Ruby because… hell, Cas had his Heat the day after Ben arrived and… well, we didn’t want to expose him to that so we spent it in the guests house.” He pauses a few seconds to check how the information was affecting Lisa, seeing no changes in her face or body language he continues. “I’m telling you this because he asked Ruby about the heat and she told him some basic stuff and also that he has to talk to you.” Dean flushes red.

“Gosh, thank you so much for sharing but Oh.My.God… thank you for the beautiful images of you banging a dude in heat… GOSH!” she says punching his arm.

“Hey!” he laughs out loud more of relief than of the actual joke. “It’s still me, you know? C’mon… let’s go, Lis.” He puts an arm around her shoulder and they go together to find Ben and Cas.

**

After Lis and Ben take the bus, and on their way back to the Manor, Dean and Cas leave Jo at Gabe’s. As Dean starts the Impala and heads home , Cas takes a look back at Gabe’s tower and reflexively says: “Your sister is quite fond of my brother, aren’t they a nice couple? I hope they pursue in their relationship.”

“Woah, dude. No relationship. Shut up, you just SHUT UP! My baby sister does NOTHING with your big brother but drink tea, eat pastries and play UNO© all night long.” Dean frowns and stares at the road.

“Really? I could swear they have intercourse, Dean” and Dean can’t tell if Cas is mocking him or what.

“No, no-no-no-no-no-no, NO. Jo is NOT having sex. She’s got her V card intact, and if she doesn’t I DON’T WANNA FUCKING KNOW, alright? Jesus!” Dean looks a bit pissed so Cas drops it, laughing really hard.

“Okay, Love. They play cards all day long and drink Margaritas… Virgin Margaritas” he says, making Dean snort in amusement.

Dean and Cas come back to a huge house. Way too big for only the two of them and it makes Dean wonder how did his brother manage to spend so much time all alone in it without going crazy, before Ruby and later Dean and Jo moved in.

Even Sally has taken some days off. So they have the house for themselves.

Sunday night and they sit on the couch, TV on. Dean is introducing his mate to pop culture. Tonight it’s Star Trek. They start with TOS.

“This is awesome, Babe. Roddenberry, the creator of the show wanted to deliver a message with it, you know? Like an actual message. Imagine it was 1966 and they guy decided that the bridge officers were to be a Chinese guy, a Russian one and a black woman! Ha! They went crazy about it but the guy stood by his choices. The message was peace beyond frontiers. Now hush, it’s starting.”

“Love, this is quite interesting to know; but you said we’ll watch all five shows, like actually every episode… we’ll finish by January!” Cas complains.

“I know… but by then you’re not gonna be illiterate in pop culture anymore, will you?”

So they watch Star Trek TOS season one until they fall asleep on the couch, curled into each other’s arms. Before closing his eyes to finally falling into dreamland, Dean kisses Cas’ temple, drowning his face into his hair and hums himself to sleep.

**

“Hi there, Pumpkin. What’s on the menu today?” Gabriel greets Jo at the door.

Jo enters, kissing Gabe on the cheek and smirking. “I was thinking food and spooning. I’m too tired and got a class tomorrow morning; I came because I never break a promise.” She watches Gabe’s face twist into a pout. “Oh, please, don’t give me that look, Gabe! I could always come back after work, if you want me to… I mean, it’s not like I want to impose myself to you or anything.”

“Oh girl, c’mon! Here I was, thinking you only wanted me for sex… I even have a present for you and all.” Gabe tries to tempt her.

Jo has already left her bag in the bedroom. “Save the present for tomorrow. With Sam and Ruby out for their honeymoon, our brothers will be doing it like bunnies and they are both quite loud, my brother swears like a sailor and yours howls… like actually howls… so, NO no. Their bedroom is next to mine and sometimes not even my earplugs and my louder songs can cover their noises. Oh don’t make that face, he’s your brother and if I have to live with those images in my head it’s only fair that I share them with you, for your brother’s sake.”

“Gosh, Jo… way to kill a boner, Pumpkin. I think you’ve just killed my sex life for good. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to delete those images from my head… but you know… Boners are staying here till Tuesday… we’ll see.”

“Really? So if I killed your boner it means I’m naked underneath my dress for nothing? Ooh, that’s bad… I feel so sexy all naked with the silk of the dress over my sweet naked spots… see?” She leans, opening her cleavage to show him her breasts, palming his crotch and biting her own lower lip.

Gabe’s erection begins to grow and he thrusts into her hand a little, groaning as she retrieves her hand. “You see,  _he_  has no problem with the images… Sorry about the lie, though, I’m not fully naked, as a matter of fact I’m wearing my own version of granny panties.”

“Oh shit, you’re such a teaser, Joanna Beth.” He chases her on her way to the kitchen area.

“And you love it!” She grins over her shoulder.

“Oh, well… I never said I didn’t… I was just stating a fact.”

“I see… we’ll check on that, later. Now, big boy, feed me.”

**

“Baby, do you think it’s really safe?” Sam big shot Meta doctor sounds really concerned. “Because if it’s not I could manage…”

“Samuel Tristan Winchester!” Ruby gets her head up from the pillow to look at Sam, who’s positioned between her legs. “First, it’s our honeymoon so you better fuck my brains out or else. Second, the Doctor said it’s okay. And third  _I_  say it’s okay. Even your baby says it’s okay. He loves what you’re making his momma feel, so… come on… stop eating me for lame questioning? Really, Winchester? Backing out in the middle of it?” She lies down again, waiting…

“The baby what?!” He gets on his elbows to have a better look at her face, frowning at her.

 _Great, Shurley, you and your big mouth._  “You carry on what you’ve started, mister. We’ll talk later.”

“The hell we are, you have to tell me now!” He begins to move and sits on the bed.

“Oh no, you better finish with your task and then maybe… just maybe, I’ll tell you… else forget about me sucking you off” she says as she starts touching herself. Ruby knows it makes him crazy. She uses her fingers to stretch herself while she stimulates her clit with the other hand. ‘Go fuck yourself, Winchester’ she thinks and between moans she whispers: “Stopping in the middle of a girl’s orgasm to ask stupid questions and talk… you know nothin’ Sam Winchester.”

Sam watches her open mouthed, dick twitching in complain… She’s a witch, it’s the only explanation. He goes back to business in between her thighs, kissing hard, leaving bruises, making her slow the pace and ask: “Are you gonna finish what you started?”

He lifts his head and catwalks over her up to her ear and whispers “Witch” as he gets inside her with a single thrust, working a slow pace, his knot forming.

“C’mon, Sammy, I’m not gonna break. You can do better, stallion.”

“Nuh uh. I’m not gonna break my baby and his momma doesn’t deserve a faster pace… so take it or leave it” he teases.

She pants and kisses him, oh she will let him tease her… next time she will take the lead and ride him… she so likes to be the one in charge.

**

Dean’s Monday at work is hard but it gets unbearable because all he can think of is finishing his shift and go pick up Cas.

All work rounded up, Dean gets in the Impala and drives straight to the Angel’s Pit, smirking at himself while he plays his plans for the night in his head over and over again… if he gets a boner out of anticipation it’s nobody else’s problem.

Dean enters the restaurant and is greeted by a joyful Jo but he tries not to hold a long conversation with her because he really doesn’t wanna know about her night at Gabe’s, so he just kisses her cheek and tries to head to the kitchen but she grabs his arm and whispers something in his hear making him pull a face. He was expecting Charlie to say something but fortunately she’s in the office putting the weekend numbers together.

He stops at the kitchen door and folds his arms on his chest, leans on the frame and watches Castiel working the fires, cooking with all 6 burners at a time. Dean smiles seeing his mate so concentrated in his cooking, he knows Cas must have sensed him but still doesn’t lose focus.

“Hello, Love” Cas says without turning, his concentration never leaving the stove.

“Hey, gorgeous” Dean says. Finally breaking the spell he goes to him and, ignoring all the kitchen crew, he invades Cas’ space and asks him: “Can I borrow the chef for a minute?”

Castiel turns smiling. “The Chef is really busy now, you see.”

“Oh, c’mon man, it’s just a minute, I promise” Dean replies with a pout that looks funny in a grown up manly man like himself. Not that he cares.

Cas looks at him in the eyes for a moment and does not have the heart to deny him a couple of minutes. “Well, if you put it that way…” and cups Dean’s face, pulling him down to kiss him.

When they break the kiss Dean hugs him and buries his face into Cas’ crook of the neck, searching for his smell, as reassuring and balmy as home. “Uhm I missed you, Babe.”

“Dean… we’ve met for lunch…” Cas replies laughing.

“So what? Can’t a man miss his mate? Ooh, that hurts, Babe!” Dean says against Cas’ neck.

Cas has to control the urge to lean and touch Dean only because all his employees are watching over the corner of their eyes while they’re pretending to work.  How on Earth did he get so lucky? He must have done something right on a previous life to deserve such an amazing mate. Cas’ knees bend a little, and petting Dean’s hair he whispers: “Love, I wish I could stay like this till next Tuesday but I really need to get back to work. Are you staying for dinner or do we get some to go?”

Dean looks into Cas’ eyes smirking. “The only thing I’m eating at home is you” he whispers only for him to hear. “Jo’s gonna keep playing cards with your brother tonight so, and I quote,  _‘you guys can curse and howl all you want’_ …  and she’s supposed to be my little sister… gross! But anyway, we’ve got the place for ourselves” and secretly adds: “I am gonna fuck your brains out in every fucking room of the house.”

“So basically dinner’s on me” Cas teases. “You’ll have to help me in the kitchen tonight then, we need to get home as soon as possible, and you must be starving. You got an early shift tomorrow?”

“Nope, it’s afternoon shift, there are some cars coming in the afternoon that I need to supervise. So we can stay late and have a slumber party” he winks and smiles wide. “Dessert’s on  _me_ ”

**

“Jesus, woman! I’m so tired I could sleep till next Monday.” Sam drops himself on the couch and takes his shoes off buffing. “You made me walk like a thousand miles, shit!”

“Really? Are you serious? It was only five miles, Winchester. When did you turn into such a sissy? I still remember when we met, you used to run ten miles a day and insist it was good for your body. What the hell happened to you?”

“You, babe; the hospital and the Meta office happened. I’ll have to start running again or risk Cas' awesome food to end up on my hips” he teases her with a mocking voice. “And I know you love my gigantor body; it was all over your vows so it has to be true!”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get cocky” she says throwing a pillow at him.

He throws it back at her and they start a pillow fight that turns into a tickle fight that none of them keep clean. It all ends in bed with a tender round of kisses that leads to love.

**

“Well, Gabe, I’m waiting… I was promised a gift yesterday.” She’d arrived a couple of minutes ago and is still changing into more comfortable clothes.

“Well, Jo girl. Maybe the offer has already expired or maybe I’d just offered out of rejection, I don’t know” smirking Gabe says.

“Or… maybe someone should be taught not to get cocky” Jo raises an eyebrow and sneers.

“Would you make me? Really?” Gabe stammers.

Jo snorts. “Nah… I’ll just go to bed” and starts taking her clothes off right in the middle of the room. She’s wearing the simpler clothes she owns, sweatpants and a t-shirt, nothing sexy but when all that goes off… Oh boy! Only the  _NADA_  she wore the first time Gabe saw her off her clothes could compete with this. She’s wearing a turquoise cotton boy shorts with the legend ‘eat me’ at the back and no bra. She loses her pony tail and looks at him over her shoulder, shakes her bum and stops at the bedroom doorframe; her hair falls and moves in a cascade. “I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to.” she innocently battles her lashes.

Gabe seems to have lost the ability to move, he just stays there, openmouthed and eyes wide open.  He’s learnt to be patient when it has to do with Jo. She likes teasing and- heaven help him- he loves when she does it; that’s the reason why he sometimes puts up a little fight, the more the fight the more the teasing and the outcome is always worthy.

From Gabe’s point of view Jo is just a handful of feet away, but when she starts a slow, sensual and luscious dance of touching herself, she… well, she could have been miles away, totally out of Gabe’s hand reach. He’s gotta do something so he begins getting closer, trying not to break the spell, he stands as close as he can without getting into her actual personal space… there’s plenty of time for that sometime in the future.

Jo takes her hair to a side and her back looks delicious, like the best candy Gabe has ever tasted. He can barely restrain himself from reaching out and lick her all over. He watches closely with a lascivious look, almost drooling and definitely speechless.

“Come on, big boy… what you’re waiting for? I won’t bite… much” she purrs.

He’s groaning as he grabs her from behind, kissing her shoulder blade and cupping her breasts. It’s the best sensation Gabe has felt in a long time, her warmth, soft milky skin feels like melting under his touch. He kisses his way up to her neck and regains his speaking capacity.

“I wanna fuck you nonstop till next Friday. The gift I got you? I want you and I take turns in using it” he says into her ear, biting softly behind her earlobe.

“Uhm, is that so? I see… interesting” she breathlessly says. “Gimme more details, but don’t stop.”

“I want to eat you full.” A kiss on her neck with every detail, “Then, riding you in all your fours, I’m gonna make you scream my name till the neighbors call the cops. I want to eat dinner out on your belly and then… maybe then, I’ll let you use my present in me” he finally says, pinching her nipples and making her gasp.

“Oh, Gabe. So cocky and full of yourself… your dirty talk is the sexiest ever, baby.” She reaches back at his hair and grips tight, bringing his lips even closer to her skin, just a light touch.

Gabe moans, all hands and lips, his whole body aligned to hers. A perfect match now that she’s barefoot.

“So, honey, do you want the present now or should we wait? It’s up to you” he says against her neck.

“Uhm, is it gonna be more fun if I get it now?” she teases.

“Oh you bet it will, Pumpkin.”

Jo turns around, looks strong, sets a peck on his lips and says: “What you’re waiting for? Go get it!”

**

The hotel bed is wide and comfortable, Sam lies on his stomach, head over his folded arms while Ruby straddles over his butt. She starts massaging his back, starting from the neck, slowly taking the time to make sure that no part of his back is left without rubbing, he’s too full of knots, muscles craving attention.

His back is so strong and wide that Ruby takes a long while to massage it, helped with almond oil. Sam giggles when Ruby reaches the small of his back; she keeps on going and Sam whimpers at her touching his thighs, making her smile. She loves taking care of her man; she continues through his legs, the back of his knees and all the way through his ankles, paying special attention to his calves.

All the work she puts on his muscles soothes him and finally when she reaches up again to kiss him she finds him dozed out… she looks at him with a tender smile on her face, he looks so peaceful and childish, lovely.

Yes, lovely but… “Oh no!... no no no no Mister. Not the moment to sleep.” She tickles him awake.

He turns around tickling her back. “Oh is that so…? Don’t you start something you don’t like, girl!”

“Okay, okay… no, please no, I’ll behave! I promise!...  Sammy, stop!” she says between laughs.

Sam starts kissing her neck and collarbone, leaving small bruises all over it. Ruby grabs Sam’s hair to make him look up at her. “You better don’t make a visible hickey, baby.”

They kiss tenderly, the kind of kiss you want to last forever. Ruby has selected a very special champagne charmeuse gown, just like Sam likes it; it has a high side slit, lace trim and a large lace front bow. She looks sexy and pretty, ferocious and innocent all at the same time. Sam could marry her all over again, he’s so in love it hurts.

Sam rubs her belly and kisses it through the fabric. He's whispering and she knows he’s talking to the baby. She feels the connection beginning to form again, the baby is responding to his daddy’s voice, making her eyes water of joy. She’s overwhelmed with the love for her men, Dad and son. She touches her husband’s hair, caressing that beautiful, sexy, silky, long hair and oh, God, how she loves his hair. She grabs it tight and pulls him up for a kiss.

“He really loves you, you know? He’s so happy with mommy and daddy, he ‘ _said’_  so.” He looks at her questioningly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, honey” she apologizes, kissing his collarbone.

“You can connect already?” He smiles and she relaxes a bit. “When did it start?”

“Last Monday. We were in such a hurry and every time we had a moment off, we went shopping for Ben, I kept postponing it for a better opportunity. I’m so so sorry, Sammy, I truly am.”

Teary eyed, he goes back to talk to the baby, but this time he lifts the gown. “Hello, Baby, this is Daddy again. I want you to know that mommy and I are so happy to have you with us. Now I’m gonna show mommy how much I love her. If you don’t like it you just  _tell_  momma and I’ll stop. Deal?” He looks up as Ruby mutters a little laugh.

“Sammy, he doesn’t know what happens on the outside, baby, he just feels our moods, so he’s all  _mommy-is-happy-so-I’m-happy_ when we make love. So you better come here and make  _me_  really happy. I need you now, husband.”

**

The Universe seems to have a plan of its own. They had planned to go home early and have the night of their lives and here they are, late at night, the restaurant still full of people with last minute reservations enjoying the cooking and the mood.

Charlie and Cas had decided to open the doors to regular clientele once again, because people continued to come after Sam and Ruby’s wedding made it to the TV news and the newspapers, mentioning the Angel’s Pit catering, so they took some reservations.

It’s getting really late but it’s Cas' turn to close and people continue to order coffee and dessert, also whiskey. Some may say the Universe is telling them to wait.

Well, Dean would happily tell the Universe where it can put its opinion.

“Oh, Come On!... They really have to ask for another coffee?” Dean complains.

“Well, we could say we’re closed but the guy in the red tie asked me for a catering. He said he saw it on the news and that a friend of his attended the wedding… it’s a small catering but that’s what we aim for…” he answers, Dean cupping his face and looking apologetically. “I’m sorry, Love, but I can’t reject a job. We need this.” Dean’s look softens. “I really would love to go home too and I can’t wait for you to fuck me senseless, but unfortunately work comes first” he almost barely audibly says.

Dean helps a bit cleaning some of the tables on the back, and watches with the corner of his eyes how easily Cas negotiates the catering with the red tie guy, smiling confidently and shaking hands to seal the deal. He smiles to himself, proud and amazed at his mate’s skills.

After the last customer has left, they’re stuck in there for about another hour, cleaning the kitchen. The rest of the staff is dismissed because Cas can’t pay overtime. Dean helps with the tables and does the dishes. Cas cleans the entire floor structure.

They move fast and in perfect synchronization, and Dean thinks it has to do with the urge they have to finally get home and well… do their thing.

They leave the building and Cas has to use all his will to make sure he keys the door. But after that, they just jump into the Impala and Baby has never been driven so fast within city limits. Whoever says they’re horny as hell can go fuck himself. They are, of course, but it’s nobody else’s business but their own.

The fifteen minutes that takes them to get home is spent in silence, with side glances and smiles full of desire. They hold hands for a moment but Dean is driving too fast and wants to get home in one piece- thank you very much- so he gets both hands on the wheel. Nobody said Cas had to keep his hands off Dean, though. He pets his head and caresses his face and fights the urge to touch his legs.

At a point Cas sets his hand on Dean’s neck and Dean’s hands shake, the car zigzags, making Cas panic a little bit. “Love, as much as I want to get home and get fucked like there’s no tomorrow, I’d really want to make it alive to the Manor, so please stop driving like a maniac.”

“Sorry, Babe, I’m in a hurry… you know.”

“Awe, you’ve done something special for me?” Cas smile widens.

“Yeah, I did, but it’s two hours too late, it’s probably ruined.” Fuck it, most probably it is.

They arrive to the house five minutes later. They get off the car, taking their stuff with them but leaving it on the floor as soon as they enter the house. Not that they’re in hurry… not at all.

Cas is about to go upstairs but Dean stops him. “Wait here, Babe.” He heads to the kitchen and comes back for Cas five minutes later. He follows Dean with a smile on his face and his heart pumping fast.

When they get to the kitchen, Dean opens the door for Cas to enter and watches his face to see his reaction. He’s put some thought in the preparation and is quite proud of the result.

The kitchen is full of lit candles almost consumed by now, there're some pillows and cushions on the floor, next to the fridge in a big empty area.

“Told you that dessert is on me and I want to eat it out of you… you can eat it out of me if that’s okay with you… maybe?” What the hell was he thinking… this was a stupid idea, he’s about to dismiss the whole thing and take Cas back to the bedroom for regular sex when his mate’s glowing eyes come close and kisses him deeply and tugs his shirt off at the same time.

Cas breaks the kiss and hurries his clothes off, never tearing their eye connection. Cas removes his undershirt and his shoes, socks and trousers so fast that it's far from being a danced strip but it’s the best Dean has ever had.

Castiel leans on the cushions without waiting for instructions and pats on one at his side, inviting Dean to join him. There’s a smirk on his mouth that he’s having a hard time trying to hide, but he’s been waiting for this all day long. “Are you gonna stay there forever or are you coming any time soon? I’m truly hungry… all types of hungry.”

Dean suddenly remembers how to move and breathe, takes his clothes off even faster than Cas and goes to the fridge to take a plate with strawberries, a bottle of chocolate sauce and whipped cream. By the time he sits next to Cas, placing the items on the floor, they’re both painfully hard.

“Lie down, Babe, be comfortable” Dean asks while dipping a strawberry on chocolate. Cas takes a deep breath of anticipation and watches Dean create patterns on his own chest, sigils with unknown meaning all across his hipbones. He dips the strawberry again and feeds it to Castiel, who accepts it silently, remaining still but his eyes tell a world of desires and wants.

Fixed on Dean’s eyes, he misses his mate’s hands action and feels a shock of cold sensation when Dean uses his finger to cover his nipples and belly button with whipped cream. Dean looks at him with lust. “I’m really hungry tonight.”

**

Jo opens the box, licks her lips and tilts her head smirking, a thousand images, kinky images going through her mind.

“Oh, you naughty boy, I like you… I like you just fine. I think I would probably keep you… if you play your cards well…” The tip of the tongue barely shows in between her teeth.

Gabe takes the box from her, looks at her with lust in his eyes and has to restrain himself from taking her right there in the middle of the living room area and give her rug burn on the knees; it’d feel awesome but Gabriel wants to take things easy today.

So he just stands there in front of her, his erection painfully throbbing between his tights. “Shall we?”

“Uhmm maybe.” She stands taller, shoulders back, breasts out. “What’s in your mind?”

“You. There.” Gabe tilts the head towards the bed, eyes never breaking contact with Jo’s. “With this” he says while raising the box up to their eye level. “ _NOW_!” He shortens the distance and whispers right into her ear: “On your fours”.

A sudden gasp escapes Jo’s lips when Gabe licks her earlobe, and she’s ready. Jo, the one in charge most of the time, the one who enjoys teasing and bossing him around, shivers like a meek girl next door. She’s on board with this version of Gabriel, she’s enjoying this way too much and they’ve barely started.

She takes her snickers off and baby steps up to the bed without saying a word, kneeling on top of it and anticipating Gabe’s next move. She stands there silent, expectant and shivering with desire, facing the wall but still glancing at him from over her shoulder with her lips a bit curled up, not a smirk, of course not!

She watches him removing the item from the box and walking towards her. She opens her knees for him to settle at her back. Gabe kisses her shoulder and licks all the way to her ear. “Close your eyes, Pumpkin” blinding her with a silk scarf as she does; it’s a pretty floral crimson, light blue and gold design. The scarf is long enough to tie it over her eyes and have the loose ends reach the small of her back, softly tickling her skin.

“Hands on your back, girl” he orders her while taking a second item from the box. He unlocks the crimson fluff cuffs a  nd binds Jo’s hands behind her back, making her breathing to hum in pleasure. “Hush, woman, and stay quiet.” He leaves her hands hanging on the small of her back.

Gabe takes the scarf from her back and uses it to caress her, starting at the shoulders and the silk between his hand and her skin feels amazing and Jo has a hard time to stay still and quiet. She feels the need to lean on the touch but she wants to know where Gabe is heading.

He takes the scarf's end towards her chest; she holds her breath focusing on the sensation of the silk over her nipples. Gabe starts rolling them through the silk and when they’re hard enough he cups the breasts skin to skin, rubbing them with a spit-moistened palm. Jo can’t hold herself anymore, she whimpers and moans, making Gabriel smile satisfactorily.

Gabriel removes the cuffs from Jo, he thinks it’s enough for a while, Jo leans on her hands, trying to deepen the touch, to make him squeeze harder but he just lets go. Instead he takes a path to her belly tracing sigils, shapes that sometimes… just sometimes, go a bit further down and for just a split second.

She trembles and arcs her hips forward when his hand reaches her entrance, breaching one finger in and moaning at the hot wet tunnel. “You’re so wet and tight, Pumpkin. So ready for me… so good… you wanna be good for me?... Do you like this?” Gabe whispers at the back of her ear, making her whole body tremble.

“Yes, please, Gabe… more… please, just please…” she gasps, moving her hips forward, trying to push him further inside.

“Oh God, you’re so eager, Pumpkin, so eager and ready…” Gabe smirks and teases her clit with his thumb.

**

Ruby’s night gown is gone.

Sam doodles lines and sigils over her belly, planting butterfly kisses all over her.

She grabs Sam’s hair and pulls him up to her mouth. They kiss slow and tender, without rush, their lips and tongues playing by heart on every corner of each other’s mouths.

She softly sucks his chin and kisses her way through his neck to his chest, sucking and biting sweetly, licking and kissing.

She sucks his nipples, playing with the hard nubs, biting and tickling them with her tongue. Sam’s moans only fuel her desire to keep going, and Ruby feels powerful.

She gets to his belly button and sucks harder, leaving a love bite red as the sunset. He pants and clings to the bedspread.

She smiles against his skin and continues her journey south. She licks every inch of skin between his navel and thighs, sucking a new hickey in his left inner thigh. When Sam cries her name her heart swells, almost aching with love.

He loves having her marks over his skin, secret evidence that he belongs to her; only for them to know, only for them to care.

She caresses his legs while her mouth kisses all around the area, except that only spot craving for the slightest touch, any attention she could give; even a blow of her breath.  _Anything._  “C’mon honey, I know you love it but, please… don’t make me beg”.  _Everything_. Dammit he needs it so bad.

She has her eyes smiling at the plea and, taking pity of him, softly licks his dick and the sound that comes out of his mouth suspiciously sounds like a purr.

She laughs a little. He moans.

She takes him deep. He wails.

She bobs and licks. He breaths heavily and swears.

She hums. He pulls her hair.

She licks his shaft tip. He pulls her from his cock and kisses her. “If you want my knot inside you, please stop right now, please.”

She mounts him. He sighs.

She touches herself on top of him. He grabs her ass and squeezes.

She lifts herself. He helps.

She takes him full and slow. He groans.

She moves fast and hard. He stops her. “Slow down, honey. I don’t wanna hurt you”

She bleats. “I’m not ill, just pregnant.”

He groans. “I don’t care.”

She slows the pace. He moans and cries her name.

She rises slow and goes down hard. He growls, “ _Woman_!”

She laughs. He smiles and grabs her hips.

She feels the knot swelling. He wails.

He cries her name and knots her. She comes with his name in her mouth.

She continues to move really slowly. He hugs her and comes hard deep inside her.

They move to spoon and rest.

“I love you, honey.”

“I love you too, gigantor.”

She keeps rocking and pouring sweet little sounds out of him. He touches her.

She comes again with a loud moan. He smiles.

The knot recedes.

They fall asleep with a smile and sedated faces.

**

Dean licks the cream from Cas’ belly and the chocolate from his chest with moans of pleasure. The mixture of the chocolate and his mate’s skin is the best combination he has ever tasted.

Dean licks the whipped cream out of Cas’ nipple and feeds it to him with his tongue in a deep kiss.

Dean licks every surface of Cas’ body. Cas can’t hold it anymore; he sits to kiss Dean, grabbing his hair to lick inside his mouth. Cas grabs a strawberry and dips it in chocolate and feeds it to Dean, some chocolate dripping into his skin.

“Oh, look what I’ve done, such a mess. I’ll have to clean it” Cas whispers into Dean’s mouth.

Dean laughs and kisses him back, cupping his face with feathery touches of his thumbs over his cheeks. Cas breaks the kiss, grabbing the chocolate sauce bottle, opens the cup and looking at Dean in the eyes he coats his Alpha’s chest, thighs and dick with it.

“Oh but look at this; I made a bigger mess.” His angel face would compete with the Winchester’s bitch face any day. “I guess I’ll have to clean it up.”

Dean laughs but his eyes show nothing but lust with a shiny grin.

“Stay still, Love, I don’t wanna make a bigger mess.” Cas gets to business.

Dean closes his eyes when Castiel starts working his tongue all around his torso, taking his time on his nipples, making Dean wail something that might have been his mate’s name; he takes Cas’ hair, fondling and gripping tight. “Babe,  oh God Babe… this feels so good!” Arching his back to meet Cas' mouth, he finds that the licks of his tongue not enough, he needs his whole mouth on him; and if Cas’ hands and dick would join the party Dean would not complain.

But not just yet.

Cas lifts his head up to watch Dean’s face, loving the way his eyes are almost shut, mouth open in a silent plea and noises coming out of it that only make Cas’ dick twitch in anticipation.

“So good I’m hungry… there’s a lot of mess to clean down here… look!” Cas kisses and licks Dean’s thighs in turn. “A lollipop! I so love chocolate lollipops!” Dean whimpers, complaining at his mate’s denial of touching his cock.

A few minutes of Cas ignoring the swollen dick is enough. “I thought you said you like chocolate lollipops so… why are you not eating it?”

Cas smiles and complies, taking Dean’s shaft between his lips and slowly licking the chocolate out of it, kitten licks all around but then suddenly, when Dean has his eyes closed focusing on the sensation, Cas gulps down Dean’s cock as much as he can without chocking. Dean cries out Castiel’s name at the surprise. “God, Babe! You’re such a sight. So beautiful and so full of me” he manages to say almost breathlessly.

Cas eagerly starts bobbing and Dean loses it. “Stop! Cas, stop please! I want to be inside you.” He takes Cas by the shoulders, making his mate make a pop sound when taking his mouth out of his Dick. He takes him up and kisses him deeply; his mouth tastes like chocolate and Cas.

“Fuck me on my side… like spooning” and obviously he’s thinking on the afterwards and being comfortable for the knot, also trying new positions. They are still discovering each other and they’re both really inclined to experimenting. He doesn’t have to tell Dean twice, he’s suddenly spun around and Dean’s hand are one on his chest and another fingering his entrance, bridging his rim, preparing him for the knot, he’s so wet that Dean finds easier to enter a second finger after a moment and then a third. Cas finds it all pleasant, especially Dean’s mouth on his neck, kissing and licking.

“You’re all gorgeous and perfect, every inch of you… and you taste so good.” Cas is stretched already and Dean thanks the divinity for it, he can’t take one more second without being inside him. “Are you ready, Babe?” Cas hums and Dean shoves his dick slow and steady into home. Dean stays still for a second, trying not to come only by the feeling of being tightly surrounded by Cas’ hot and welcoming ass.

Castiel tries to move his hips, in need of any kind of friction inside. “Fuck… fuck-fuck-fuckity-fuck. Move, Winchester… it feels so good, Love, please move!”

Dean starts to move, trying to think of anything but what he’s doing, otherwise he’s not gonna last, he can already feel the knot trying to swell; it’s hard, though, Cas feels so good and tastes better. The position Cas selected is not good for a fast pace but he can be accurate at pressing Castiel’s prostate every time he thrusts in, and the noises coming out of Cas every time his dick throbs his it is music to Dean’s ears. It only takes a few minutes for Cas to feel his orgasm building from his toes to his cheeks, he grabs Dean’s ass and that does it for the Alpha. The knot begins to swell and Cas comes howling. Dean begins to stroke as fast as the knot and the position allow him to and comes a few seconds later.

They remain spooning on the cushions, hands all over the other, humming and praising each other. “Uhm Dean… the kitchen is a mess, Love… and I think we’ve ruined one of the cushions.” He barks a laugh. “Anyway… if you make me feel that again I’ll buy a thousand cushions.” He kisses the hand Dean has on his chest, keeping him as close as their skin allows them; he moves his hips just a tiny bit but that’s enough to milk another load of cum out of Dean and start a new orgasm for himself.

**

“Can you behave for me, Pumpkin?” She nods but says nothing. Being blindfolded makes her skin more receptive, even his talking breath reaches her skin and makes it ache.

“I can, Gabe, how do you want me?”

“On your fours” he whispers from behind.

She leans forward, resting her weight on her hands and knees, leaving the words on her panties visible to Gabe. “Oh, Jesus… I’ll eat you till next Tuesday.” Her shiver amuses him. “But first, I need to pick up something.” She turns her head towards the noise of a drawer open and close. She feels a breath of air on her back and soft touch on her shoulder, his warm breath in her ear whispering “Can I eat you whole? Like really eat you? I’m gonna leave the blindfold on, let me know if there’s anything I do that you don’t like; deal?”

“Deal. I trust you, Gabe. I’m yours” she breaths out.

“Lay your head and hands on the pillow, babe. I want you to be comfortable” he says while removing her panties.

As the panty goes off he kisses a path from her lower back to her earlobe and licks his way back. He sucks little marks on her buttocks and parting them Gabe touches her rim, making her hiss and clatter her teeth at the surprise. “Is it okay, Pumpkin?” Gabriel asks her retrieving his finger just in case.

Jo lets out a whimper at the loss of contact. “Told you I’d let you know, Gabe… get back to business, please!”

“So eager, darling… mhm love it…” he hums, kissing her rim; she moans, encouraging him to go on. He opens her with his tongue and pushes in, fucking her torturously slowly. Gabe continues eating her, introducing a finger at a time, fondling the clit with his thumb. She arcs her back, starts feeling lost in sensations up to the point of dizziness.  Another finger follows in and she shivers. He’s fucking her ass with his fingers and tongue, her clit throbbing at random touches but without enough stimulation to make her come. She’s so close and yet she’s denied what she needs.

Gabe reaches for the lube and circling her rim and fingering, one, two, three fingers, increasing the pace, turning, stretching, it takes a single stroke to her clit for her to start coming, crying out Gabe’s name; almost collapsing on herself but Gabe holds her tight.

“Stay still, baby.” He pats her butt and puts a condom on and enters her pussy in a single thrust, with an urgency that surprises them both, grunting and slamming harder each time, gripping her thigh strong; Jo knows that’s gonna leave marks… and she loves it.

He grabs her belly from behind, making her go back to all fours, his pace frantic and desperate. Her breathe short and panting, she can feel a warm feeling growing in her guts and spreading all over her body, an explosion waiting to happen. His knot is swelling inside her, transporting them somewhere above the floor, up to the ceiling and beyond. She comes again, stronger, higher, wishing it’d last more than a few seconds; involuntarily thrusting her hips back against him and that’s it, that makes him lose it and he also comes, a full load of cum deep into the condom, it’s such a powerful sensation that he screams through his teeth while he’s biting Jo’s back as if he were afraid she’d disappear in thin air.

Gabe collapses on top of Jo, and tries to maneuver her into a more comfortable position. “Oh God, Joanna Beth how the hell can you be so good at this”, a praise that, whenever she thought she could not take it anymore, makes her come all over again.

She considers not answering the question because she thinks it could be a rhetorical thing, but what does she know… her mind is made of jelly right now. “I like having fun, Lover boy. I take what I want; first time I realize that what I really want is you, though.” She’s not sure if all the words make it out of her mouth because she still has a hard time catching her breath. They spoon and she rocks him.

Gabe smiles into Jo’s skin, planting lazy kisses on her shoulder. “There’s a first time for everything” he agrees while she moves her hips, milking him one more time. 

**

None of them had ever thought that cushions on the naked floor would be so comfortable; most likely it has to do with the fact that they’re cuddled skin on skin, releasing endorphins and stuff. They don’t care. Moving is a challenge they’re willing to lose. Moving seems the wrong thing to do.

And yet again, the kitchen is a mess, there’s chocolate everywhere and the whole place smells of sex. Sally’s scheduled to come back from her days off later this morning and if they don’t move she’s gonna find them in the middle of the mess, naked and filthy. Fuck. Better get up right now.

“I’ll get the cushions; you get the food out of the floor” Cas orders.

“On it, boss.” Dean starts putting the remaining strawberries and the chocolate bottle in the fridge, quickly mops the floor, opens the window to clear the air and goes to help Cas put the stained cushions to laundry so they can get a shower.

They shower, cleaning each other, and it’s a relief they don’t need an excuse to touch each other; they wash their hair, they rinse and towel in lazy moves. Caressing and kissing, they move to bed.

“Dean…” Cas ducks his head in Dean’s chest, his arms around his mate’s waist.

“Yeah, Babe?” His arm is wrapped around Cas’ back, holding him in place, hand lazily playing with his hair.

“I love you…”

“I love you too, Babe.”

“No, Dean. I don’t think you get it… I really really really love you—and I will never stop loving you.”

“I know, Babe. I do too.” Dean can feel Cas frown against his chest. “What is it, Babe? What are you trying to say?”

“Really, Love? Really? Gosh… sometimes you can be as stubborn as a bull… you’re 29 Dean!!”

Dean’s breath falters. ‘ _He knows… he knows and he’ll leave me’_  it’s all Dean can think, making no sense at all. “Uh hu, and I’ll be 30 in January, so?” he plays the fool.

“Yeah, I can do the math too. I’m 28 and I have 1.5 years to go—but you… you have less than 8 months. I know the law, Dean. Registering as mates is a step. We’re gonna start receiving letters in a couple of months if we don’t comply with one of the two requirements, and I don’t think I’m ready to get pregnant.” Cas kisses Dean’s jaw line. “I’d like to enjoy you a little longer.”

“Yeah... well, we’ll figure it out. I guess Ruby can get us an extension till  _you_  are thirty, given we’ve just met or something like that.” Dean kisses Cas’ top of the head, squeezing him tight. “I don’t want to have a baby because the law says so… I want a  _we-decide-we-want-a-baby_  baby. I don’t know, man. I wish I had an answer for you.”

Castiel returns the hug, tighter and full of need; of need to hold him and to let Dean know it’s alright. “We’ll figure it out, Love; it’s gonna be okay, I promise.”

**

Jo also has a present for Gabe, it’s satin bow teddy that holds the satin tie front bow and a strappy thong back.  Once you pull a string hidden behind the bow… everything falls. Wearing it feels like being wrapped as a gift. One more thing falls out of its place--  Gabe’s capacity of speaking and thinking, that’s the effect on him when he sees a present, nicely wrapped in a bow, lying there in the middle of the bed, at midday. A card next to the present:

‘To: Gabriel’

‘From: The witch who bewitched you.

             You can untie the bow and open the present anytime.

              Love, Jo.

              PD: I’ve got to be at work before 5PM’

Gabe looks at her and whispers in her ear: “I think I’ll open my present after a sandwich… we’ve worked really hard but did not get enough nutrients, join me?”

Jo grins. Gabe smiles.

Gabe goes to the kitchen and prepares the fastest sandwiches he could think of, PB&J’s, grabs two sodas- regular for him, zero for her, then he sits on the bed next to the present.

“Would my present want a PB&J?” She grins wider and nods, grabbing a sandwich and the soda.

“You really enjoy torturing me, don’t you?” Gabe says admiring the tricks the light of the morning sun plays on Jo’s blonde hair.

“Well” she giggles, “I’m wearing nothing but a bow and a thong and you make me eat a sandwich. Who’s torturing who?”

Gabe laughs, lust always present in his eyes.

**

“Cas, how long is it gonna take you to lit the fire, man? It’s getting late and people are already arriving!” Not to mention that last night they’ve had a private marathon of love making and Dean is starving.

July the 4th, Wednesday and the Manor is gonna be full of family and friends. They’ve all promised to attend. 

“Well, Love, if you’d keep your hands to yourself I would find it easier to focus on the fire, not that I am complaining, let me tell you.” Cas winks at Dean and they kiss in front of the grill.

 

Someone coughing calls the mates’ attention. “Dean, would you take your hands off my baby brother for a while, thank you!” Balthazar arrived with his date, he introduces her and the party’s officially started.

Shortly after the rest of the family begins to arrive, Gabe greets everyone and goes back inside looking for Jo. Charlie and Meg join Cas at the grill, soda in hand and chattering about something Dean can’t hear. He’s at the kitchen fixing the salads and making sure the beer is all cool and ready.

Ruby’s uncles arrive together; Chuck greets everyone, goes back to the kitchen and starts talking with Dean, beer in hand, about his new car. Carver came with his new wife, Marian, a lovely woman who, to everybody’s delight, is the opposite of his former wife.

Ruby’s parents and siblings will arrive at any moment, and Benny, Andrea, and Kevin have promised to join the party sometime around noon.

Once the fire is on, Dean gets the meat and stays next to Cas to help him with it. The BBQ party is on. Steaks, burgers, hotdogs, corn, potatoes, salads; the whole nine yards; and beer, lots of beer, every brand they could think of, and for the foodies, wine.

Since Cas joined their lives the Winchesters cannot think of a day where food was not awesome; it usually goes from amazing to incredibly perfect. The party goes great and at a point Dean brings the pies and they begin to slice them, pecan, blueberry, chocolate, apple, lemon.

Everybody is talking and laughing and praising Cas’ cooking. Ruby looks at Sam and nods, Castiel sees the interaction and touches Dean’s arm. “Love, go and get the champagne. It’s time.” Dean goes to the kitchen and comes back with a couple of bottles and five minutes later everybody has a glass in hand.

Sam bangs the side of his glass with a fork. “We have an announcement to make.” He grabs Ruby by the waist and, leaving the glass on the table, he rubs her belly.

Everybody smiles and Sam and Ruby say at unison: “We’re pregnant!” They kiss and the whole family goes crazy, everybody hugging everybody and taking turns to hug the happy parents-to-be.

Life couldn’t be more perfect.

Dean takes Cas, holding him by the small of his back and kissing his temple he whispers: “I want this one day, Babe, I have no doubt about it.”

“So do I, Love. Let’s talk about this later, I love you” and they both smile through their kiss.

**

After the party and the fireworks the five Winchesters gather in the kitchen for coffee with the news as background noise.

Something on the TV catches Ruby’s attention. “Everybody shut up! Look!”

All five leave the coffee mugs on the table and turn to watch the TV and Ruby turns the volume up in time for them to hear the anchorman say:

« **Dr, Lucifer Novak told us this afternoon** »

Camera shows Lucifer smiling, charming as usual. « ** _We are ready to disclose that the name of the restaurant where Steve Glover had his allergic reaction is located in Santa Monica; it’s called ‘The Angel’s Pit’. We are suing the restaurant for reckless poisoning of a MetaAlpha and also the chef for malpractice. Steve is an important member of the California Meta Community_** » His gorgeous icy smile is charming the camera. « _ **I’ll drag the chef and the restaurant through the mud**_ »

Dean could have sworn he heard Cas’ heart break and he could have killed that Lucifer bastard with his bare hands.

The anchorman continues. « **This morning we got Dr. Shurley on the phone and he told us, and I quote:** _ **“The restaurant has nothing to hide. We’re helping the justice to catch the responsible for the intoxication. We’re at the disposition of the Judge.”**_ **We haven’t gotten the chance to talk to the restaurant owner yet** »

Ruby turns the TV off and they all turn back to the table. Cas is pale and Dean's heart drops; he lays his hand on Cas' shoulder and pulls him into an one arm hug. Sam looks at Ruby, eyes full of questions. Jo feels her throat go dry, the guy doesn’t deserve this.

Ruby breaks the silence. “The show has just started.”


	28. Life will love you back

Almost every day for every working year his lunch breaks have always consisted in fast food or a sandwich made of leftovers, a beer and… no, that was it… His day was work, eat, work some more, go home, take a bath, TV, and make dinner or a bar after shower on weekends; that was his life.  Now Dean can’t remember the last time he ate junk food for lunch or a plain burger or a sub; ever since getting to Santa Monica, Cas’ cooking has been spoiling him day after day. Not that Dean’s complaining.

Nowadays, his lunch breaks turn to be one of the peaks of the day, because let’s face it, seeing Cas for at least an hour in the middle of the day is the best part of it. He almost never has to wait for the night to hang out with him.

So on Thursday noon he takes the keys to the Impala and leaves to the Angel’s Pit to have lunch with Cas (or mostly eat by the counter watching Cas cook or organize the kitchen flow) and talk. Dean’s lost in his thoughts so it’s shocking to find Lisa standing next to the Impala, leaning on her, arms folded and a worried look on the face.

“Hey, Lis. What are you doing here? Is everything alright? Where’s Ben?” Dean takes her head up by the chin and kisses her in the cheek.

“Hi, Dee. Yeah, I mean, it’s okay. Ben’s alright, he’s at school. Sorry to bother but there is something I need to talk to you about. Do you think there’s a place where we can talk privately?”

“Cas is waiting for me at the restaurant, we could go and grab lunch, you up for it?” There’s no way Dean is gonna miss his time with Cas.

“Yeah, sure. If you think he’s gonna be okay with it.” There’s a hint of doubt in her voice, she knows she did not treat Dean’s mate very well when they met and hopes that he really is as nice as Dean says; she hopes he  _understands_.

“Why wouldn’t he? He’s… he’s  _Cas_! C’mon, hop in; I don’t like to keep him waiting… besides, most probably he’s got my food ready and I’m starving.” He doesn’t mention that it’s weird finding her there, outside his workplace, being a nervous wreck, but he knows she will eventually tell him why. He pretends not to notice her shacking hands gripping her own dress, as he closes the shotgun door after her.

The drive is silent, but not a comfortable silence like the one he used to share with Sammy when they were on the road, or when he and Cas drive to the beach or go around, just for the fun of driving. No. The tension in the car is painful; Dean has tried to make her talk but she refused, she wants to wait and talk like civilized people and Dean… well, Dean does not want to start an argument, so he just lets her be. He’ll find out what the hell this is all about in ten minutes.

“Jo works here, did you know? But I think she had classes today… I don’t know, she never tells me anything these days” Dean tells her as Charlie points at a table on the back where they can sit and talk. Also a table where Charlie can have them in eye reach to monitor their behavior… she’s suspicious but hell, not even Dean Winchester would bring his mistress to his boyfriend’s restaurant. He wouldn’t… would he? Charlie shakes her head dismissing her own doubts and goes back to her business.

“I’ll go and order, be right back.” He spins on his heels and goes straight into the kitchen.

“Babe, got a minute?” Dean’s speaking fast and now that he has to tell Cas that Lisa is there he feels uncertain whether Cas is gonna be  _really_  okay with it.

“Sure Love, I got your special order ready… I gotta cook though, mind sitting with me by the counter and chat while I work?” Cas continues with the cooking after a brief kiss.

But Dean won’t sit, so Cas turns to see what’s going on, the signals he’s getting from Dean are confusing, mainly because Dean is never like this. “What is it, Dean?”

“Lis. She’s outside, waiting for me on a table. She came all over here to talk to me and I think it’s gotta be something serious because she is all worried and refused to talk until we were somewhere private.” Dean hesitates for a second. “Am I crossing any kind of line if I ask you for a salad for her and bring my plate over there, so we can talk over lunch?” And for a moment Dean thinks Cas is gonna start yelling because he can feel his distress; he needs to reassure him nothing is gonna happen with Lisa, so he does the only thing he knows might work and he hugs Cas and kisses the crook of his neck, making Cas sigh in relieve.

“It’s okay, Love. Go, I’ll have your order delivered in a few minutes. I love you.”

“I love you too, Cas. You’re awesome.” He plants a chaste kiss on Cas’ lips.

Cas turns to prepare Lisa’s salad and mutters “Yeah, I know, I’m the freaking best.”

Dean goes back to Lisa to find her with the hands in a knot with the knuckles white. Dean places a hand on hers to call her attention. She smiles at him but it’s a sad smile, a smile that is struggling with words that try to escape her mouth.

“I order a Caesar salad for you. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, sounds good, Dee.”

“Uh huh… well, anyways. Sorry Lis, but I have to ask. Why in the world did you travel all the way up here, four hours by bus and obviously feeling like crap? What the hell is that important? Is it? Is it so important, Lis?”

“Yes, it is and I am so sorry for what I am about to tell you. I don’t even know where to start. Dean… I am so truly sorry!”

“Stop it, Lis. You’re scaring the shit out of me. What the hell, woman”

“It’s that… I was so young… I was… I was childish and stupid… and they said… and I-I-I don’t think you can ever forgive me, Dean… I” Lisa stammers.

“Now, wait. Stop it, Lis. You’re making no sense. Nothing you’ve said today makes any sense. Here, have some water and start from the beginning; whatever it is we’ll work it out.” Dean promises but he can say by the look she gives him that she doesn’t buy it.

Lisa takes a sip of water, and after a deep breath she starts talking. “What I’m about to tell you is gonna be huge, but please let me talk without interruptions, even if you have questions or if you can imply what I’m talking about… please?”

“I promise. I’ll let you finish… now please talk.” Dean hasn’t been this serious in a long time.

“I was seventeen and stupid. I was seventeen and in love. I was seventeen and my boy was an Alpha, fully grown Alpha, but we didn’t know. We were kids and stupid. SexEd had taught us that only fully grown Alphas can impregnate, that you only have to use protection for STDs but not to prevent pregnancies. And we were stupidly in love. I let him knot me and it was awesome. It was the ultimate token of love. But we did not know that somehow he had developed a month before. We didn’t know, Dean.” Her face was now crossed by tears and Dean is as pale as he’s ever been.

“How could we have known? He was seventeen and he hadn’t found his mate yet. But I got pregnant all the same; pregnant by a boy my parents hated, and in my senior year. When they found out I was pregnant they shipped me and their shame to my grandma’s. I got homeschooled for the rest of the pregnancy and I was never allowed to return to Lawrence; and I was scared. I was so scared that I never told him, they didn’t let me. I wrote a hundred letters, tried to send a hundred more but never did.”

“Then one day my dad died and my mom got depressed and told me to go and be happy, so I moved to Sioux Falls and I bumped into him and I instantly knew I was still in love, I’d never stopped loving him. We felt the attraction again, just like when we were seventeen. He met his son and he felt he was his but I lied, I was so scared to lose him again that I lied; I told him Ben was not his, I told him I had met a guy before I left Lawrence. He believed me, and then I could not stop lying because father and son felt their connection and became inseparable instantly, as easy as if they had known each other for ever.” She feels her throat dry but as she takes the glass to drink some water her throat shuts so she does her best to continue talking.

“We went to live together and I really wanted to tell the truth but I couldn’t, it was too late, I didn’t want to lose him again; but one day he left me anyway. No matter what I did, no matter what I hid, I lost him all the same.”

“He’s your kid, Dean.” She puts her hand on top of Dean’s and he looks at their hands in slow motion. “I’m sorry, Dee, I am truly sorry. I have all the letters here. I just wish one day you’ll find it in you to forgive me. But I understand I’m asking too much.” She waits for Dean to say something, but he’s too overwhelmed by everything she’s just said, his mind is racing. He can’t find the strength to move.

“Why now, you’d ask. It hit me the other day. You have a mate. I know the law, Dee. Ben will have siblings soon and I can’t deny him his family anymore. We can work it out, Dean… Dean, please say something.” Her voice is so broken that the last word is barely audible.

But he can’t come out of the state of stupor, every noise in the place muffled by the power of his blood pumping through his ears. A thousand feelings pushing to come through; he’s mad and thrilled and hopeful and happy and pissed and more.

Lisa’s face is a waterfall of tears and mascara, hands and lower lip trembling. “Dean…please…”

That’s when Castiel shows up with the food and three steps away senses Dean’s distress, watches the scene, their body language, and the paleness in Dean’s face and all his instincts hit him. If a look could kill, Lisa would have dropped dead instantly.

Cas looks angrily at her and puts his hand on Dean’s shoulder, and Dean grabs it and sighs but still won’t talk.

“Dean, Love, are you okay? What happened?” And at her: “What did you tell him?  _WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?”_ She jumps at the shouts and cries harder.

“Ben’s my son, Cas.” Dean breaks the silence in a very low voice. “She… she just told me. Lis… Lis just told me Ben is my kid.” He’s still in shock and it takes a lot of self-control for Cas not to kill Lisa.

Cas closes his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath to control his anger. “I’m glad you came clean, Lisa. Now leave, please go to Dean’s house, take a freaking cab and leave now. Wait there, we’ll go later.  MEG! Make this salad to go.  _Pronto_! NOW!” Meg hurries and Lisa nods, leaving the table without saying anything else and going out without waiting for the salad.

Dean stays still on his seat, blind look on the table and only looks up when Cas sits next to him with two glasses of whiskey. “Drink and hand me your phone, Love.”

Dean looks up at him still in shock; eyes wide open at the urgent tone on his mate’s voice.

“Phone, why?” Dean asks while pouring the scotch down his throat in a gulp, welcoming the burning sensation.

“To send a message to your boss. You got sick or I had an accident or Sam needs something, I don’t know, Dean, whatever you think that would work. You’re not going back to work today.” His tone is final.

Dean hands him the phone with a sigh. “Tell him whatever you want, Cas, I don’t care.” The Omega doesn’t flinch at the coldness in the Alpha’s voice. He knows he’s shocked and needs him to take charge of the situation and help him through.

“Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Dean grunts an okay and gulps Cas’ scotch down and closes his eyes, concentrating in the burning throat with the hope to make his mind shut the fuck up for a minute.

“Charlie, I’m leaving. Please control the kitchen… everything is scheduled and the guys know what to do” and turns to go back to Dean but Charlie takes his arm.

“What the hell, Cas… what was all that? Who’s she?” She’s truly concerned. A week ago she would have taken the chance to talk down on Dean, not today… ‘ _She’s changing’_ , Cas manages to think for a second.

“I’ll explain later, Char. Dean’s not okay, he’s far from okay, he’s in shock. I’ll leave now with him. If you need anything I’ll be at his house. Thank you, Char.”

“It’s alright, Cassie, go. I’ll manage here; call me if you need anything” and that’s a change. She smells the distress in Cas and sees Dean state of mind. She’s back to  _best friend mode_  and if Cas was not so worried about Dean, he would have thanked her properly.

Instead, he nods and goes back to Dean. Cas is mad and angry and pissed and thinks he could very easily become a murderer. She hurt Dean, she lied to him and was untruthful, deceitful, dishonest, hypocritical and hundreds more epithets.

“Can I have another one of these, Cas? Or ten? You know what? Bring the bottle” he says voice-cracked.

“C’mon Love, let’s go home.” As soon as the word escaped his mouth Cas realizes he just called the Winchester house ‘home’. “Keys, please. You’re in no state for driving.”

Dean hands him the keys of his beloved Impala right away and without complaint, keys to the car that nobody but Dean and in counted occasions Sam would drive; well, ladies and gentlemen, meet Dean Winchester in shock.

**

Back at the Manor, Ruby opens the door to a very sad Lisa. Only she doesn’t know her.

“Hello, can I help you?” Ruby sees the woman is crying. “Are you alright?”

“Uhm, hello, I’m Lisa… Ben’s mother. Castiel and Dean sent me over to wait for them. They are… God, sorry, you must be Ruby, Sammy’s wife, right?”

“Hi, Lisa. Please come in, let me order some tea for you. Have a seat, please. Are the guys coming soon?” Ruby doesn’t know what to do, the woman is a mess and she doesn’t even know her.

“Thank you, Sally. Lisa, have a tea. Please calm down.” She turns the TV on and just lies there next to Lisa, not actually watching anything and in a very uncomfortable silence, cursing at her brother in law. Ruby tries to read her mind but her thoughts are so scrambled she cannot make any logic.

“You feel better, now?” Ruby asks once Lisa has finished her tea. “What happened?”

“No, I feel terrible. But Dean has to tell you. It’s private, sorry” Lisa answers.

Ruby nods, and they both turn to not-watch the TV. After a few minutes Ruby hears Lisa sobbing.

‘ _I never meant to hurt you.’_  That Ruby can read alright, and it is quite unsettling.

**

Cas drives to their beach in the car in silence, Dean’s eyes looking ahead without really seeing. Once there he leans over Dean’s lap to open the shotgun door from the inside but Dean grabs his arm tightly. Castiel waits for him to say something, anything, but Dean keeps his blind look.

“Dean, talk to me, say something, please, Love.” Now he’s officially panicking.

Dean finally turns his head to look at Cas in the eyes. “He’s my kid, Babe. Ben’s my kid.  _MINE_ , all mine. He’s a Winchester and my son.” An odd grin starts to show in his face. “You know what this means?”

“Yes, Love. Your biggest wish of Ben being your kid has finally come true. Congratulations  _Dad_ , I’m so happy for you.”

“Yeah, Babe, that too.” At that statement Cas frowns but has no time to ask him what he means because Dean is slowly coming out of the shock. “Take us home, Cas. Lisa is there alone with Ruby and I bet my sister-in -law is planning to kill me. I’ll tell you the whole story at home.”

Cas wants to know now but Dean is smiling at the road and that’s enough for Cas. He can wait.

**

They finally make it back at the Manor twenty minutes later. Ruby and Lisa are still on the couch blankly looking at the TV. Lisa is still a mess.

Ruby hears the Impala roaring but does not move from the couch. She waits until the mates are inside the house and in front of her to jump from the couch and very angrily say “Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on? A woman I don’t even know rings at  _my_  door and says she was sent by you two to wait for you here. That was over an hour ago; you did not call to tell me anything and no fucking one tells me anything. Now _speak_!” Cas has never seen his friend so irritated.

“Yeah, sorry about that, Rubs. I needed time to think” Dean shrugs.

Cas is so mad at Lisa, and  _him_  Ruby has no problem reading. His mind is screaming really loud some really unpleasant images of what he’d like to do to Lisa.

“Oh God, Cas, really? Well, that’s different, my friend. Come on, Cassie, calm down!” Ruby takes Cas by the arm and tries to sooth him.

But Cas won’t let her. “Calm down... calm down? Ruby, she… SHE… gosh Rubs… she’s a… yes,  _YOU_ … you lied to him for almost twelve years… he was so worried Ben could be someone else’s son he even refused to take the paternity test because HE WANTED SO BAD TO BE BEN’S DAD that he thought if he really wasn’t his blood you’d forbid him to continue to be part of Ben’s life. He didn’t care if they were blood related or not… HE LOVES YOUR FUCKING KID SO MUCH AND YOU COULDN’T BE HONEST WITH HIM? WHAT KIND OF CRAPPY PERSON ARE YOU?  _FUCK YOU_!”

“He’s been suffering for that for a long time. I can understand that your freaking parents took you away and that you couldn’t do anything else but to obey.”

Sam enters the house and immediately senses the distress in his brother and the anger in Castiel so he runs to the living room with all his MetaAlpha instinct to protect his brother from whatever argument they’re having. He’s heard the yelling but could not make out the words, but Ruby gives him a look and mouths ‘ _Not now’_  and nods to make him get closer to her, that’s when he sees Lisa and freezes. They both hold hands and listen to Cas continue.

“But then… then he lived with you… YOU FUCKING LIVE WITH HIM FOR TWO FUCKING YEARS! TWO DAMN WHOLE YEARS… and you still wouldn’t say a word? Why? Cowardice? Do you really know him so little that you thought he would have left you because of  _THIS_?”

And Cas is so lost and angry that turns his attention to Dean. “And you… why are you not mad at her? WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU NOT FUCKING YELLING AT HER?”

Dean looks at Cas with his green eyes shining greener than ever, those are eyes of joy and Cas struggles to understand, but he can’t. She hurt him and all he can think of is to make her pay. Dean says: “It’s just that nobody gets it” but way too quietly for anyone to really hear him.

Sam asks Ruby as quietly as he can “What the hell…? I’ve never seen Castiel this mad; I never thought I would see this day.”

 “Ben’s a Winchester” she says in a rush and Sam’s reaction takes her by surprise.

“WHAT?” he takes a step forward and it’s his turn to confront Lisa. “What the hell, Lis? Another lie?  _AGAIN_? You are lying to him or what?”

Lisa’s voice is small with embarrassment and fear, over the years she also lied to the other Winchester. Also she can’t understand Dean’s reaction. He remains silent, not even answering a direct question from his mate; allowing him to yell at her, she would also like Dean to yell at her, his anger she’s ready to face, his silence she can’t handle. She’s afraid of him coming out of the shock.

“I’m sorry, Sammy, so so sorry. I… I lied to  _you_. I was scared, you see… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” and starts crying again.

“I get that, but… how… I mean… we had the test ran… I was there with you when they took our blood samples… it came out negative… how?”

“I used to date the Phlebotomist guy a few years back, I asked him to change the blood test results. I’m sorry, Sam… I’m so sorry, I… I just panicked.” Lisa turns to look at Dean. “Dee I’m sorry, I was stupid and selfish…I’m sorry. I know I can’t take back what I did but I really hope you can all forgive me.”

“Forg… FORGIVE YOU!” Sam and Cas start yelling at the same time, MetaAlpha and Omega raising in defense of the Alpha they both love so much. You could say it’s all about instinct but it’s actually about love.

Dean’s eyes look relaxed, his face calm and a little curve on the corner of his mouth calls Ruby’s attention. “What, Dean?” Ruby asks him, her voice calm but steady, making the other two men look at them questioningly.

“No one sees it. Yes… she lied… yes, we’re all mad at her. Because, Lisa… I’m really mad at you; I know I will eventually forgive you but I’m not sure I’m gonna ever forget. All I know right now is that I am truly mad at you. You know Lis, Cas said we can understand that you had no choice but to obey your parents. I can understand that you kept it from me over the years while we were apart. Hell, I can even understand you kept me in the dark when we were dating but Lis, then we lived together, and I trusted you with my life and my darkest secrets and you kept lying to me. No Lis, _THAT_  I can’t understand. There’s no way on Earth, Lis… you screw it bad this time… but Babe,” he goes to Cas and takes his hands, “You really don’t see it?… Rubs, do you?”

Ruby smiles fondly at him, “Yes dear, I do… this is really good, brother. It is!” and turning to Cas and Sam, she frowns and raises her voice a little, “And YOU TWO STOP IT RIGHT NOW. I know Dean’s your mate and your brother, but he’s an adult and this is  _HIS_  mess to take care of. So stop yelling at her and at us and just  _listen_!”

“What? Are you kidding me Rubs? What’s good about any of this?” Cas keeps staring angrily at Lisa. “Because for all we know she could still be lying to Dean, she’s done it for years and years now. How can we be sure she’s telling the truth this time?”

Cas can’t understand why Dean and Ruby are so calm, it feels like betrayal.

“I’M NOT LYING… this time…” she looks down, embarrassed.

Dean, overwhelmed by the news as he is, is still receptive of Cas’ distress and he can’t let him feel like that, he can’t let him think that his mate is letting him down. So he goes and hugs Cas from behind and shushing him to relax he whispers, “It’s okay, Babe. Calm down, please. Don’t get mad at me, my love.” Dean kisses Cas’ neck, making the other man close his eyes, shedding the tears that have been gathering for a while now, tears of anger and stress.

“Sam, please sit down. Really, I appreciate you trying to stand up for me, but guys, you’re so eager to protect me that you can’t see what’s right in front of our noses.”

Sam and Cas sit on the couch, Lisa sits back on a chair. Dean stands next to Ruby facing his brother and his mate.

“Lis, you need to promise you’ll cooperate. We need full cooperation; full disclosure, you’ll have to put everything in paper. Ruby’s gonna find the way to do this right. I guess the first step is a paternity test, to have proof, right Rubs?” She nods and Dean goes on, all eyes in the room fixed on him. “Then we need to fill in the papers for the paternity to be legal and then more papers to fill for the Alpha police.” Both Sam and Cas and now Lisa too are looking at him with a confused look.

“Because…” and he pauses to see if Cas finally gets it. “Cas, this means I already have a son! And this is just perfect. Cas, this means you and me have another two years to think about a baby of our own. We’ll have time till  _you_  turn thirty! I’m really pissed at her, but she’s doing us a favor; let alone the fact that now I can call Ben my son by my own right, of course.”

They all stare at him, Ruby and Sam smile. Lisa looks as confused as before; Cas looks at Ruby with hope in his eyes. “Ruru, is this a possibility?”

“No, Cassie… it’s a  _fact_. If…  _when_  the paternity test comes positive as a Winchester, Dean will be out of his due date… this is good, told you, buddy!”

The smile in Cas face is tiny, even shy but he gets up and falls into a hug with Dean, kissing him soft and tender. With their foreheads together, Dean says: “There’s nothing to worry about, Babe” and kisses him back.

A few seconds later and still with his forehead pressed to Cas’, he frowns and says: “Sammy… what was that you said you made an uncle test with Ben?” Sam flushes red and stammers a few words before making sense.

“Yeah, well… the kid looked and talked like you… I had a hunch. I was worried something like this might happen. So, yeah, I did… SO WHAT? Sue me,  _jerk._ ”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll discuss this later,  _bitch._ ”

**

Sam’s position at the hospital never came handier. The hospital runs official paternity tests and Sam can pull his strings to fasten the process. He has his brother scheduled for blood extraction for the same day.

July the 9th is the oddest Monday ever. Dean can’t focus, there’s a 1988 Land Rover Defender on the bay he should be supervising but all he does is stand there, looking blankly at the kid he should be advising and controlling.

At 10AM he receives a phone call from Sammy. “Dean, hi. Look, you’ll have to be here by lunch break for blood extraction. I had Ben’s sample delivered this morning. The tests will be ready in three or four days, then you can file the paternity papers and then we should start testing Ben for gender designation that the law requires for any kid born from Alphas or Omegas.”

“I’ll be there at noon, Sammy”, he pauses for a second and before hanging up. “Sammy? Thank you, man. You’re a good brother.”

“Anytime, dude. Still good to see you’re no longer uncomfortable with chick flick moments, though”

They both hang up laughing. Whether it’s a nervous laugh or not is nobody else’s problem.

**

The blood has been extracted. All they can do now is waiting.

And Cas waits, he is still righteously mad at Lisa and quite reluctant to let go because… well, it’s all fucked up as hell.

So far everything had been so perfect in their lives as a couple learning to live together that Cas cannot accept the fact that Dean did not react to the news the way he usually does. He’s always passionate and reacts instinctively to things, anger always showing in his voice and body language. Not this time though; and even when Cas reacted the way he did because he felt the strong need to stand for his mate, Dean just remained silent the whole time… yes, she was doing them a favor but still…

Well, no relationship should be perfect so Cas knows they’ll work it out once all the paper work and the tests are done and they can go back to their regular lives that will now include a child.

Because even though Ben has been part of Dean’s life for years, now it’s different. Dean’s his father for real, flesh and blood, and that changes it all, makes it better. Cas can live with that, he’s willing to.

The thought of enjoying Dean for a little longer before they fulfill the law makes him smile and takes every concern to the back of his mind.

**

Ruby is at home on a Wednesday, her morning sickness is getting better at this point but she has learnt to enjoy the house life, the quiet mornings when everybody’s gone to work, the gardening and cooking, the nap times when she would dream of Baby W; so she has decided to start working from home. What’s the point of working for your uncles if you cannot do some home office from time to time?

Kevin arrives at 9AM with a carbon box full of papers from court, “Hi, Boss. We have a few cases to go through so I brought all the paperwork” he sets the box on the coffee table, takes an envelope and hands it to Ruby, “I think it’d be interesting if you start with this, though”

“Well, finally… this is what we were expecting. We’ll have to start preparing Castiel for this. I mean, not telling him  _what_  to say but  _how_  he’s gotta say it” she checks the letter again, “We’ll have to do this fast, book me some morning for him and I’ll tell him as soon as I see him, probably this afternoon”

Sally brings coffee for Kevin, tea for Ruby, and muffins for both. They continue to work for a couple of hours and around noon Kevin leaves to deliver some papers and have lunch with his lady friend.

**

Alfie checks the street through the curtain; he’s been hiding in his apartment for the last twelve days. He’s been having serious thoughts about what he’s done and came to the conclusion that he’s an idiot.

She used him. She used him and he almost killed the Meta. Gods and thunders will be getting at him if he doesn’t flee; but before, he needs to do something important; something to help his bosses.

They have always treated him like family, nice and well. They saw the good cook he is, despite his slippery fingers. They don’t deserve what he’s done to them. He’s been thinking for days now, for a way to redeem himself to them. It’s not easy, he has discarded phone calls, e mails, or even telegram (who the hell uses telegrams anymore); finally he decided a letter would do it.

It took him three days to write it, and it was the opposite of easy. He wanted to put everything in words, he needed to explain the whole thing because he’s so embarrassed and regretful of his doing that he feels the need to seek for forgiveness, even when there’s little chance of getting it.

He writes explaining how she had seduced him; telling him she was married to an Alpha she didn’t love; how she’d persuaded him to get rid of the Alpha so they could be together; how he’d let her convince him to put some fish stock drops in the first course. How she’d betrayed him and how sorry he is for having remained silent while the law blamed Charlie and Castiel, the only people who had ever believed in him.

He leaves the apartment and goes straight to the post office and sends the letter to Edlund and Shurley, addressed to Ruby. Alfie doesn’t know if the restaurant was still open or got closed for good, but one thing he knows, if there’s anyone that can help Castiel and Charlie that would be Ruby Shurley.  He found out her name when they were organizing the wedding catering and also found out she’s Castiel’s sister in law or something like that.

He returns to the apartment; the bag with the money is on the table, he takes a few minutes looking at it, thinking and deciding. Finally he makes up his mind. Alfie takes a duffel bag, puts in some cloths, the money, and some papers and closes it. He takes a final look around the apartment and leaves. This is probably the last time he sees this place. He’s okay with it.

He gets to the bus station and takes the first bus scheduled to depart.

**

The blood test came back positive. Ben is a Winchester.

“Dean, this is great, man!” Sam hugs his big brother, congratulating him, really happy for him.

“Thanks Sammy, really thank you. This is really big. You know how much I love Ben already.” Castiel looks the scene from a couple of feet away, this is a very intense moment between the brothers and Cas can feel the love pouring between them. He’s already hug and kissed his mate when he opened the envelope and now it’s Sam’s turn.

“Dean, listen, you have to talk to Lisa now” Ruby tells him after hugging the man herself, “Ben has to know the truth from the two of you”

So Dean and Cas decide to take a trip to Arizona on July the 14th. They travel for about four hours, the Impala driving as fast as the road speed limit allows, but Dean feels great; a bit nervous, yes, but exultant; in a couple of hours his son will not have to doubt whether to call  him  _Dad_  or  _Dean_  anymore. And he will change his last name to Winchester as well. Dean’s never been so excited in his life.

Castiel on the other hand is still really mad at Lisa. He knows this is a necessary step, he even knows that in the end, she’s given them the gift of time and yet… and yet he still cannot overcome the fact that she deceived Dean and that she deprived his mate of his own son for years. Cas is like a lion, he’d kill anyone who’d hurt Dean.

Dean senses his mate’s distress and even if he didn’t, Cas discomfort is displayed all over his face, plus the fact that he hasn’t moved since they got into the car, not trying to touch Dean’s hand even once. He’s not like that.

“Cas, Babe, listen… you need to see the bright side of this.” Dean cups Cas’ cheek and smiles at him fondly.

Castiel barks a bitter laugh. “Oh, yeah. I see it, Love… he’s your kid and I’m truly happy for you… it’s just that she… I’m sorry, I don’t want to ruin your day; it’s huge and it should be the happiest. Only, she doesn’t deserve everything working out so fine.” His eyes fixed on the road and the most serious expression Dean has ever seen on his face.

“Yeah, I know… still… she’s Ben’s mom so you’ll have to work around it, Babe.”

Dean sees Cas has spent too much time around the Winchesters when Cas looks sideways to him making the best impression of Sam’s bitch face, “Apparently…”

“Thank you, Cas… for backing me up on this.” Dean tries to distract him from his gloomy thoughts.

“Well… I’m your mate, aren’t I?” Cas shrugs and goes back to look at the landscape over his window.

Dean won’t push it any further, he just uhms and, taking Cas’ hand he plants a kiss on it. He lets his hand go only after squeezing it for comfort. Cas doesn’t look at him, but Dean sees the corner of his mouth curve into a little tiny smile. They’re good. They’re gonna be alright.

They park the Impala in the entrance of a nice house, in a soccer mom neighborhood and Dean has mixed feelings about his son being raised in such a place… feels unreal, like TV show crap of a place.

“It’s a nice place, Dean… drop it”

“What? Now you can read my mind?” they get down and Cas waits for him on his side of the car.

“I just know you, that’s all. You’re ready, Love?”

“As ready as I’m ever gonna be” he takes a deep breath, grabs Cas hand and head to the front door, “Let’s do this”

Dean is about to knock on the door but a man opens, “Hello, you must be Dean and Castiel” the guy extends his hand.

“You must be Chad. Pleased to meet you” Dean shakes the guy’s hand and when Cas is doing the same, “Hope this is not awkward for you”

“Well, you know… life happens and we have to take what it brings” there’s a pause where all three men are smiling, “Uh sorry, please come on in. Lisa is in the living room”

“Hey, Lis. Is Ben around?”

Lisa stands up, Dean kisses her cheek but Cas only nods at her, he doesn’t even say a word. Castiel is there to support Dean, not to be nice with her.

“He’s upstairs, do you want to have the talk now or wait for after lunch?” Lisa offers.

Chad clears his throat making the other three turn to him, “If I may, Dean, Lis, I think it’d be preferable to do the talking now, having you two for lunch is going to be odd. He’s been having this look, like he knows something’s up and wants to know”

“Sure, let’s go to the lounge. Chad, would you tell Ben to come down?”

They sit, Cas closely next to Dean, and Lisa brings coffee.

Ben runs into the room, “DEAN!... CAS!” he hugs them in turn, making Cas smile wide for the first time in the day, “What are you doing here?”

Dean takes a deep breath, looks at his mate and Cas moves to the right leaving a spot for Ben to sit; Dean can’t be grateful enough for such an awesome partner.

“Ben, son, why don’t you sit here next to me? We need to talk.”

Ben jumps and takes a seat between Dean and Cas. “Mom will marry you? Is she gonna leave Chad? What? Tell me!”

Dean takes a quick look to Castiel to see if what Ben just said had affected him but his mate is just smiling amused, so Dean also snorts a little laugh, “No, kiddo. They’re good together and we’ve talked about Cas being my mate as well, so no; definitely no. I’m not marrying your mom” Ben muffles a complaint but also looks at Cas apologetically but Cas ruffles his hair in dismissal.

“But there is something that you should know. Lis?” Dean looks at her and waits.

“Yes, Dean. Ben… Dean and I want to tell you…” She struggles with the words but gets no help, “Remember the blood extraction from last week? Well, we had some tests ran and we found out that… that… Dean… Dean…” but she can’t continue so she looks at Dean for help and this time he comes to the rescue.

“I’m your dad, Ben. For real this time… not just a random guy living with your mom and playing your dad. I’m really truly a hundred per cent your dad. You’re a Winchester” Dean says with a huge smile, shiny eyes to an open mouthed Ben. He panics for a second because it’s taking a moment for Ben to react.

But when he does… it’s exactly the kind of reaction Dean had been expecting. Ben jumps into Dean’s arms and hugs him tight, and stays like that for what it feels forever, refusing to let go just in case he’s dreaming. And Dean holds him tighter because of all the years he missed with his son. The boy he loved like his own flesh and blood since the very moment he met him, finally will be calling him dad without correcting himself.

“I knew it, I always knew it. I knew you were my dad all along. But, Dad… you live in Santa Monica, I’m not gonna be seeing you enough.”

“Ben, I know in the past few years we haven’t seen each other much, but that’s gonna change right now. You’ll be coming to our home more often and you’ll get to spend half your summers with Cas and me.”

“You’ll teach me to bake those cookies, Cas? They’re awesome!”

Cas’ face glows. “Sure, Ben. It’ll be my pleasure”

“So I’ll get to spend time with you, right Dad?” Ben still can’t believe it, his grin so wide that Dean thinks the little fellow’s face will break at any moment, “But how did you find out? I mean, what made you run the blood test. Why didn’t you or mom tell me? You should have told me, mom!” Dean sees he’s getting a little too upset, more sad actually; and this should be a happy moment not a sad one.

“We didn’t want to tell you until we were sure, neither of us wanted to hurt you. Sometimes grownups can make the silliest mistakes. We found out two days ago when the test result came back positive. And about the rest… mom loves you very much, don’t look at her like that.” Dean hugs him closer and whispers only for him to hear. “Don’t blame her for this, she meant well.”

But Ben snaps, he’s got a point and he knows he’s allowed to speak his mind. “Then who should I blame, Dad? Mom is the one that had me… she lived with me, SHE LIED TO ME!” and he may be eleven but he manages the perfect Winchester bitch face and rushes upstairs, crying.

Lisa and Dean both get up and try to go after him. But Chad stops them. “Leave him alone for a moment; he needs to process the whole thing. He’ll come back when he’s ready, trust me.”

“May I use your bathroom, please?” Cas suddenly asks.

“Uh, yeah, sure. It’s upstairs, last door on the right” Chad informs him.

Cas goes upstairs and on his way back down he finds Ben sat on his bed, his door wide open. Cas knocks and Ben tells him to come in.

“How are you Ben?” he sits on a chair by the window, Ben shrugs so Cas goes on “You know, at first I was really mad at your mom; I mean, I didn’t want to be in the middle of it all but I couldn’t help it to be mad because of all the time you and your Dad lost. But today it hit me, it’s not a loss, it’s a win. You gain a Dad, and also me… and your Dad and me gain a son. See? It’s a win-win situation” Ben whimpers, not quite convinced.

“Ben, grownups are people just like you, moms included. We all make mistakes, poor choices, really bad choices and horrible decisions like this one and sometimes it’s because they don’t have any other option… I think that now that we all know the truth you can go and enjoy your Dad. Go downstairs and kiss both your parents, hug them real tight. They love you so much, Ben. You’re a lucky kid”

Ben stops crying and looks at Cas’ blue eyes and smiles through the remaining tears, “Yeah, I can do that… thank you, Cas”

“Any time, Ben. Come on; let’s go before they freak out.”

He goes downstairs after Ben and watches the kid drop himself into a hug with Dean first, crying a little more and then he turns to his mom who’s in tears and runs to hug her too; he’s still mad at her but maybe Castiel has a point, he’s gonna give her a chance. She’s his mom, after all.

“Dad, will you stay for the week end?” Ben asks.

“As long as your mom invite us, son” Lisa, having apparently lost her voice nods her agreement.

“Great! Now lunch everybody. Ben, show your Dad and Castiel the guests room. Your mom and I are gonna finish preparing lunch”

“Lead the way, kiddo. We’re gonna make a couple of phone calls in the meantime and tell Grandma Ellen and Grandpa Bobby the big news”

“Cool!” Ben runs upstairs followed by Dean and Cas holding hands.

 

**

Ruby loves summer time, so when on July the 19th morning she wakes up and finds the day sunny and hot so she decides to go for a little swimming; the doctor has said it would be a good exercise and she finds it relaxing so… why not? She goes down to the pool while Sammy is taking a shower, Dean is with Cas at the kitchen preparing breakfast and God knows what’s up with Jo.

She swims for good twenty minutes and that helps clearing her head. The morning sun is warm but not hot enough for her to tan, so she lays there at the pool side and enjoys a good sunbathe that is also healthy for Baby W.

After a few minutes Cas comes and teases, “Well, Ruru, I hope you’re hungry like a wolf”

“Like a wolf? My friend I could eat a cow, so hope you made a good one” she teases back.

It’s only the four of them at the patio table having breakfast because, as Dean informed them, Jo decided that they should let her freaking sleep in peace… so… there they are, the two couples eating and chatting as if they haven’t seen each other for days.

She feels great after the morning exercise, Cas’ breakfast and family talking so she decides to go to the firm. She was about to cancel all the meetings she had scheduled but they are both important and boring as shit, so she has no choice.

The meetings she’s hosting are to tell her clients her situation, her pregnancy is not gonna allow her to go on with their cases in court but she’ll continue to control and supervise every move and paperwork. Most of the lesser cases are okay with that, as long as she’s still the one in charge. But the clients that had specifically asked for her to handle their cases, very tough cases, are far from happy; those are the cases Ruby transfers to her uncles, always happy to help their little princess.

She takes a break at noon with two more meetings to go through in the afternoon. Kevin offers to go get a salad or maybe Chinese for Ruby but she really doesn’t feel like eating; she’s feeling dizzy and her stomach is closed. Most probably she won’t be able to eat at all so why to bother buying food? Fifteen minutes into lunch break she starts feeling cramps but, to avoid worrying anyone, she just asks Uncle Carver to take the last two meetings and she goes home.

She takes a cab home to find Sally going out. “Oh hi, Sally. I totally forgot you were going to see your mom today”

“You okay, Ruby? Do you want me to stay?” Sally sees her face is quite pale.

“No, there’s no need. I just got up too early and I’m quite tired, that’s all. Go, say your mom hi from me” Ruby smiles and rushes Sally out.

“Okay, Ruby, thank you! See you tomorrow” and Sally leaves.

Ruby goes to the kitchen and prepares herself a grilled sandwich and a tea, just in case a little food will settle her upset stomach.  She finds out she was wrong; she drinks a little tea but the sandwich remains untouched. She’s not hungry and now she’s having cramps again. Ruby reaches for her purse on the counter, finds her phone and calls Sam only to get the voicemail. Twice. He must be on a round or maybe talking with Dylan. Ruby decides to climb the stairs very slowly, taking a few seconds now and then to wait for the pain recede. When she reaches the bedroom she’s exhausted and dizzy so Ruby sits on the bed, takes a sip of water and lies down. She tries to contact Sammy again but the voice mail is all she gets so she decides to text Cas to let him know she’s not feeling alright and that she’s home alone. Ruby types the text but is not quite sure if it’s well written or not and eventually she falls asleep and dreams of Baby W… she sees him flying away into a cloud and she can hear his voice, like actually hear him talking… and all she hears is “I love you, mom” as he fades away weaving good bye.

It takes Castiel twenty minutes to take off the apron, find a cab and get home. He storms into the house calling her name; looks for her in the living room, the kitchen and that’s when he hears her screaming. His blood freezes but he runs upstairs, taking two steps at a time, his heart worried sick. He enters her room without even knocking and freezes.

**

Ruby is bent in two, hand on the belly, face crossed by tears and pain, eyes closed while a new scream comes out of her mouth when she feels her thighs wet. The pain is unbearable but even worst is feeling that her connection with Baby W is lost. She doesn’t want to think what this all means; she doesn’t want to analyze anything, hell she doesn’t want to think at all.

Ruby touches her inner thigh but does not find the strength to look at her hand; if she looks it’ll become real. She keeps trying to reestablish the connection but she finds only silence and that hurts even more than the actual pain his body is going through, it’s the worst pain ever.

She can’t take it any longer; she has to call for help. She can’t remember whether there are more people in the house or not, she doesn’t even know for how long she’s been dozed out. She tries to call for help but all that comes from her mouth is a long unintelligible scream.

She never opens her eyes, the pain is too much. She feels there’s someone next to her, she feels his body heat. Cas is there with her. Dear reliable Cas. Greatest friend she could have ever imagined to have.

Cas had received the weird text and got instantly worried. Now, kneeling beside her bed, fondling her hair, murmuring empty words of comfort; he’s panicking. He dials 911 and hugs her in a weird angle, given she’s made a ball in the middle of the bed, crying desperately.

Ruby hears him make the call and reacts gripping the collar of his dress shirt to pull him closer, “The baby, Cassie, the baby! I… I can’t feel him… the connection… the connection is not th… please, Cassie, please help me! Don’t let anything happen to us!” The last two words almost impossible to hear as she passes out. She will regain consciousness at the hospital bed.

Five minutes later the ambulance arrives. Of course it was fast, it’s a Meta Alpha’s pregnant wife call. Cas leaves Ruby for only two minutes while runs downstairs, opens the door and without waiting for anyone to come in he rushes back upstairs at the shout of “Follow me this way!” 

Cas kneels next to Ruby again and hugs her tighter, she’s covered in blood and unconscious. He’s crying and fondling her hair.

“She’s pregnant, are you her husband?” the doctor asks, obviously a Beta, he can’t sense Cas designation.

“Yes, she’s pregnant. And I’m her brother-in-law, Omega. Please, please save her” he knows he’s quavering but can’t help it.

“I see, we’ll have to take her to the hospital, you ride with us to help with the paperwork? You need us to contact the husband?” the doctor asks while the others prepare the pallet.

“Yes, I’ll go with her. I’ll text my mate, he’ll call his brother, thank you” and Cas takes his phone and text Dean.

**«Hospital now. Ruby NOT Ok, Call Sam»**

They arrive to the hospital and are taken to ER in minutes. She’s admitted right away but fast is not enough; there’s nothing anyone could have done for Baby W, he’s gone. As Ruby enters the operating room Sam appears and tries to enter as well, Castiel goes and grabs Sam out of the door; Sam is crying and can barely speak, already in shock; he leans down to let Cas drag him into a hug.

They cry together for a while. Cas feels Sam’s weight beginning to lean more on him every minute so he moves them to the chairs, making Sam sit and taking the next chair for himself.

Sam keeps asking Cas in between sobs what had happened, looking at the door and calling her name with never ending tears in his eyes and face.

Twenty minutes after the text Dean arrives at ER and goes to his brother melting in a hug full of tears, reaching for Castiel’s hand at the same time. The three men are a mess and for a good reason. They stay like that until the surgeon comes out and stands in front of them. Sam knows him, he’s… he’s… no, he can’t remember his name and he doesn’t care.

“Sam, I’m so sorry” the Doctor says, the three men look at him with terror in their faces, Sam seems about to faint, “We could do nothing to save the baby; miscarriages at this stage of pregnancy happen, I’m sorry. Ruby’s stable right now. She’s sedated and will be transferred to a private room as soon as she wakes up” he turns to Cas and takes him aside, “You brought her in and Sam is in shock, there are papers to fill for the Meta office… maybe you wanna take care of that?”

“I think I’ll tell my mate to do it, he’s his brother after all. I’ll tell him to go to the front desk as soon as we can get Sam calm down a bit. Thank you, doctor” the man nods and leaves them alone, sad and in pain.

Sam continues crying in his brother’s arms for what it seems an eternity, Cas goes to the cafeteria and gets coffee for the three of them, Sam takes his with trembling hands and chokes on his tears, hiccupping and biting the paper cup. He can’t speak yet and none of them want to force him to. They just remain by his side in silence, Dean’s arm around his baby brother’s shoulder.

**

Ruby wakes up to a hospital room, she’s confused and in pain, she lets her hand land in her belly feels only emptiness. She realizes what has happen and starts sobbing uncontrollably. A trembling hand cups her cheek, it’s Sam’s. Ruby doesn’t want to face him, she has failed him, and she doesn’t deserve his love.

“Baby, Rubs, honey…” Sam talks with a cracked voice and she finally manages to open her eyes and look at him. What she finds is the love of her life’s face all red and the saddest look ever in his eyes; a broken hearted Sam confirming her biggest fear. She’s known it all along but confirmation is a bitch.

The moment Sammy takes her hand and squeezes it she bursts in tears, despairing, screaming nothing but a mourning howl. Sam hugs her in silence, no need for words; all they need is to cry together, cry the loss and the love they have been building for their son going to waste.

Cas and Dean enter the room at the sound of Ruby and Sam crying and decide to give them some space and privacy so they go for more coffee.

“This sucks, I can’t even begin to imagine what they’re going through, Babe” Dean grabs Cas’s hand over the table.

“I know, Love. I don’t know how she manages to keep on breathing. This is so sad, I feel so sorry for them but also for the baby… I already loved him and she wasn’t even three months pregnant. I must…  _we_  must be strong for them, Love. We have to be there for them”

“Yeah, Babe, I agree… Shit, I have to call Ellen and Bobby and her parents and Chuck, Kevin, and Andrea”

“And you have to go to the front desk to fill in some papers, that’s what the doctor said” Cas looks at Dean sigh loudly and offers, “I’ll call her uncles and parents, you call yours and then we’ll go and fill in the papers”

Bobby curses at the news and asks Dean to keep him informed about Ruby’s health, he sounds sad beyond reason and hangs up; Dean thinks his surrogate father is probably already drinking himself to oblivion, feeling useless, unable to be of any help; hell if Dean doesn’t know Bobby.

Ellen cries and cries and never really stops crying. She speaks nonsenses about flying right away to support Sammy but Dean talks her out of it. Dean promises Ellen to take care of both Sammy and Ruby and to call her every day to let her know the recovery details.

“Dean, be strong and take care of your brother. I love you, kiddo”

“I will, Ellen. Love you too”

Ruby’s parents arrive and enter Ruby’s room after shaking Dean’s and Cas’ hands. From the outside the mates can hear all the crying and their hearts shatter a little more.

After about fifteen minutes Sam leaves the room, “She’s asleep… I needed some air… Dean…” Sammy breaks again, Dean pulls him into a hug and lets him cry on his shoulder; Dean’s heart breaks to see his little brother so broken, knowing that there is absolutely  _nothing_  he can do to fix it. There’s no pie, no movie or park he can take him to so to make him feel better, all those things he used to do when they were little and Dad had come drunk and beat them both. No. All Dean can do this time is to be there for him, to be a shoulder for his brother to lean on.

“It’s okay Sammy, cry all you need… take it all out, I’m here, baby bro… easy…”

“She’s… she says… dunno, man… she cries and apologizes… that’ s all she does… she tells me _‘I love you_ ’ and just.. just…” he can’t find the words maybe because there are none that can describe the pain they’re going through.

“I know, Sammy… it’s just the kind of things people do when they’re hurt… give her time… give  _yourself_  time…” Dean tries to calm him down, even though he knows there’s nothing he can do to make it better.

“No, Dean… she’s blaming herself! She… she, she really thinks this is her fault… Dean I can’t… I can’t even start to process this… it doesn’t feel real… it can’t be. Tell me it’s not… please, tell me this is a bad dream. Please, Dean, let it be a nightmare. Dean, make it stop!”

Sam makes himself a ball into Dean’s arms like he used to do back on the days he was a toddler left under his eight years old big brother’s care. And all Dean can do, again just like in the old times, is hold him tight and start humming ‘Hey, Jude’, one of the strongest bonds to their mom, the one that heals the soul.

Cas comes back from the front desk to find the brothers like that, Dean looks up at him still humming to Sam, whose soul’s in such a pain that his brain gives him a break by dozing off.

Dean whispers to Cas, above Sammy’s head, “I’ve never seen him this broken, Babe. I don’t think I can mend his heart this time. I won’t be able to undo this hurt; I don’t even know what to say to him. I want my baby brother to be okay, Cas…”

Cas takes his hand, the one that is not resting on Sammy’s back, and soothes it, “You’re doing it good, Love. Look at him; he’s resting because of your voice. You’re an awesome big brother, he trusts you. Thank God you’re here for him”

They hear the door open and see Ruby’s parents leaving, Dean stays with Sam, still asleep, and Cas goes to them. They talk a little bit with him, cry a lot more and nodding at Dean they leave.

“They are going to talk to her siblings; they don’t want to tell them over the phone. Her mom says she will come back to spend the night with her, I’m not sure Sam will want to leave to the house, though. I’ll leave you here with Sam; I’ll go take care of Ruby. I love you, Dean” leans on to plant a chaste kiss on Dean’s cheek.

“Thank you, Cas. I love you too” as Cas is entering Ruby’s room, Dean kisses Sam’s top of the head and loses his fight against the tears, now free falling on his cheeks.

**

Cas enters the room as quietly as he can, he leaves the door open and it surprises him to find her awake with her empty eyes fixed on the ceiling; she looks at him with a hollow smile. Her emptiness is almost palpable. Cas can only feel sadness, sorrow and pain, but there’s something else… guilt.

“Hey, girlfriend. How you’re feeling?... can I do anything for you, Ruru?” he sits on the bed and holds her hand, she sits and melts into his arms hugging him tightly, clutching her hands on the fabric of his shirt. Cas hugs back and pats her hair, kisses her forehead and rocks her softly.

 “I… I don’t know, Cassie. I just can’t feel a thing… All I can think of is that he’s not here anymore… the connection is gone. Before you found me I dreamt of the baby saying ‘I love you, mom’, kissing me… saying good bye and leaving… then there was only pain and emptiness… Cassie, he knows… he knows and… and… God, Cas I just can’t!... NO-NO-NO, don’t leave me! Don’t go for Sam… I can’t look at him right now… he’s so broken… I can’t even handle my own pain… and it’s all my fault, Cassie” she breaks into sobs, crying even harder, “It’s my fault and only mine, I should… I should have taken better care and eat better and… and… and drink more water and exercise… and oh God, I should have worked less… I… don’t… know, Cassie… this hurts so fucking much! I can’t even breathe, I’m sorry… I’m sorry…I’m sorry” she continues to ramble, unable to stop, finding impossible to say anything else, her words chocking with tears.

“No no no no, Ruru, it’s not your fault, don’t say that, and don’t even think like that. It’s life… sometimes it’s unfair and hurts like a motherfucker but it’s hardly our fault. You know this fucked up society we have it’s because of this… we’re used to see this happen to strangers… unfortunately it happened to us this time.” Cas feels his own tears starting to shed, “But the baby, Ruru, you heard him saying good bye, he loved you so much, he told as much, right? You’ll always have the time you could connect with each other; it’ll hurt, yes, but think about it as time you got to spend with your son, my friend” he takes her by the shoulders to make her look at him, “But Rubs, don’t shut your husband out, he loves you and needs you as much as you need him; Sam doesn’t deserve to be pushed away. You should fall asleep in each other’s arms; he was his baby too… You know he’s fallen asleep in Dean’s arms? It’s cute… he’s curled in a ball on one of the big chairs with his head on Dean’s lap, his brother is fondling his hair and humming ‘Hey Jude’ nonstop” she turns her head and watches the scene through the open door but doesn’t say anything, “it’s cute but he should be here crying the loss with you, Ruru; let him in, let him be with you”

Ruby lays back onto the bed, her face away from the door but she keeps Cas’ hand tightly captured between her own hands. “I want to sleep now, Cassie. Will you stay, please? I can try to talk to Sam when he wakes up, but I can’t make any promises” and closes her eyes, shedding more tears and biting her lower lip to stop herself from crying again… not quite succeeding. Cas sits by the bed, fondles her hair, kisses her forehead; she kisses the hand she’s holding and lets go a deep sigh that at the end breaks into a new set of sobbing.

Castiel lifts his gaze and looks at his mate through the open door. Each of the mates comforting one of their siblings, by blood or relation, they mouth ‘ _I love you’_  to each other and smile, but it’s a sad smile.

Nurses come and go, take vitals and check the charts. They inform Dean that the Doctor is coming in a while before his shift end but that Ruby seems to be doing okay. Sam stays there, not even listening to anything anyone says, just lies against his brother and looks at his wife from the distance. He’s unsure he’s even welcomed to be in the same room. Eventually he dozes out again against Dean’s shoulder.

A couple of hours later, Jo arrives from the restaurant and Ruby’a parents arrive right after her to stay for the night. Jo stays with Dean to learn about what had happened, sitting on the floor holding Sam’s hand, and Ruby’s parents go into the room to talk to Cas and wait for the doctor.

**

The next morning finds Dean and Cas entangled on the chairs in front of Ruby’s room, Sam had went in and spent the night on the couch, away from the bed but a bit closer to his wife. Her mother had insisted he should be there no matter what Ruby said; Mrs. Shurley understands her daughter but insisted it was important for them to be as close as possible.

The doctor first visit for the morning is Ruby, of course, she’s the wife of a Meta doctor and part of the hospital staff if anything else. He goes through a full check and finding her physically acceptable, because to be honest, she’s just experienced a miscarriage and the psychic sequel is gonna be way worse than the physical one. Sam manages to have the doctor discharge her, since Sam himself can take care of her at home, to finish the healings and beside, she’s going to be more comfortable and, holistically speaking, her restoration, physical and spiritual, will come faster than in the hospital.

They arrive at the house and it hurts Sam to feel it less of a home for the time being, he can’t even think clearly. He helps her to the bedroom; he puts her to bed and makes sure she drinks some water. Every move is done mechanically and they barely speak or exchange looks. Castiel stays by the door watching the whole interaction.

“I’m going downstairs to bring some crackers; you have to eat something, alright?” Sam says from two feet away. Her eyes are fixed into the nothing in front of her and only nods making no sound at all.

Sam shoves a whimper and leaves. Castiel enters in the bedroom and stands next to the bed.

“What Cassie? I’m too tired, brother… don’t look at me like that”

“I’m not mad at you, Ruru. But you have to let Sam get closer, you both need it… please, please give it a try…”

Ruby only sighs, but looks at him searching for a little borrowed strength.

Sam returns a couple of minutes later with some crackers and cool water. She takes a cracker that Sam is offering, eats half of it and drinks some water. When Sam takes the glass she grabs his wrist and Sam leans down to hug her so tight Cas is sure Ruby has problems breathing but that is exactly what the two of them need. They hold each other for what seems an eternity but none of them say a word.

During the afternoon both Dean and Cas take turns to go and check on her, Ruby would look at Dean gratefully but she would only speak to Castiel. Sam went to lie down in one of the spare room in the same wing and closed the door from the inside, which worries Dean to no end.

At dinner time Dean knocks on Sam’s door like a thousand times until he hears uneven steps coming to the door and an extremely drunk Sam opens to immediately turn around and land on the bed on his stomach to start snoring right away. Dean pulls the comforter on top of him, takes the empty bottle of Jack away from the night stand, turns off the light and leaves him to sleep.

Jo takes the turkey sandwich Castiel has prepared, grabs a soda from the fridge and goes to her room. Dean sits at the table and waits for Cas, they eat in silence. Dean can feel the air getting warmer and warmer and he knows what Cas is about to say before he even opens his mouth. Oh, right, the mating shit.

“Love, my heat is starting tomorrow. I can feel it in my bones. Someone needs to be here for them… at least for the first twelve hours, until the suppressors hit, then we can handle it all by ourselves”

“I know, Babe, I can feel it too. I think, I don’t know, maybe her sister and Jo? Or perhaps Benny and Andrea? I know we can’t have Ellen fly all over here, I know she would drop everything and be here in the morning, but I don’t think it’s fair. We’ve got till tomorrow morning to figure it out”

“I know… I think the  _sisters_  option is the best for at least 24 hours. You go and check with Jo, I’ll call Rubs' sister” Cas takes the phone and Dean runs upstairs to talk to Jo.

“What? What is it Dean? Are they okay?” Jo freaks out as soon as she opens her bedroom door.

“They’re both asleep, Jo. Look, there’s a situation and I’m gonna need your help” Dean starts.

“Anything, just tell me” Jo assures but Dean is not quite sure about that.

He tells Jo about the heat coming and that Cas and him are gonna need at least twenty four hours to deal with it before they can be of any help with anything. She makes a face but doesn’t say no. So Dean pushes a bit further.

“I know you have the restaurant to go to but Cas told me he gave you time off,  _PAID_  time off. School is important and I understand you’ve got Gabe as well, but we need you, Jo. This is family and we all need you. Sammy is a mess… he won’t eat if you don’t put the food in his hand and he’s drinking himself to sleep… and she’s even worse”

Dean doesn’t know if she’s tired, overwhelmed or just too hurt, but she agrees right away. She’ll take care of Sam until Dean and Cas are back in game.

Cas makes his call, “Hello Beck… no, she’s asleep. She did eat a few crackers but I guess is normal under the circumstance. Anyway, Beck, she’s a mess…” he listens to her for a few seconds giving him some advice of how to make her sister do what he says, “I appreciate that, but look… I…. I sort of have a problem… heat kind of problem. I’m ready to take suppressors but the first twelve hours… well you know how it goes… yeah, I know you’re an Omega as well, that’s why I’m being so open about it… I was actually gonna ask you if…” he doesn’t have to say it though, she’s gonna be there for her sister, “Thanks Beck…. Yes, tomorrow… maybe in the afternoon or early night? She’s my priority, so I won’t leave her side until it really… you know. Good… yes… 4PM is great, thanks again Beck”

“It’s all set with Beck, Love…” he tells Dean while they head to one of the other rooms on Sam’s and Ruby’s wing, they don’t want to sleep in their own room just in case any of them would need them in the middle of the night. “What did Jo say?”

“She was surprisingly cool with it” Dean Shrugs while they slip into bed, curl into each other’s arms, “She’s gonna take over around five, so we can head to the guest house after dinner. Well, after grilled cheese… he won’t eat anything else”

“Neither would she… only Ritz© and water… in the last thirty hours she ate about twenty crackers… don’t know what to do anymore, at least she’s drinking”

“He’s too… whiskey. We’ll have to let them mourn for a while but we’ll have to look closer…” Dean looks at Cas like drinking from his face and eyes, a tired smile sketched in the corner of his lips, “You didn’t have to put up with my family’s problems, you know?”

“What do you mean? They’re my family now as well…” Cas sounds quite surprised at the statement.

“I know, I know you truly feel like that and that’s why you’re so awesome; I love you, Cas”

“I love you, Dean”

And they fall into an uneasy sleep, waking up several times in the night just to check on their siblings, making sure they’re as well as the situation allows them to.

**

The girls arrive on time. While they’re having dinner Cas explains everything to Beck and assures her that they’ll be back tomorrow night to check on them.

“ _NO_ , Castiel. I’m an Omega too. I understand. Go and spend your heat, take the first forty eight hours and then we’ll talk, keep the suppressors to the minimum, it’ll be better for your health. Anyway, as you say; we’ll probably get bored, if they’re really sleeping that much as the last three days, we’ll be okay… I’m gonna do my best to get her out of her state but if you haven’t succeeded… she’s really fond of you, you know that, right? I can’t begin to thank you for everything you’re doing, Castiel”

“You don’t have to, Beck. She’s my friend and my sister, we’re family and families take care of each other”

Jo smiles at that, and Cas smiles back… they’re good and Cas thanks God for the little miracles.

“We thank you both, girls. Now eat people! We’re all need the strength” Dean breaks the silence. They eat in peace while Sam sleeps with a bottle by his side, curled in his temporary room and Ruby stays still on her bed, looking at the ceiling distractedly chewing a cracker, the same cracker she’s been trying to eat for the last half an hour.

That’s how Cas finds her when he goes to say good bye, “Ruru, I’ll be away for a couple of days. I’m sorry, girl, I wish I had any option but it’s not something I can switch off, I’m sorry Ruru. Ruby please, look at me” he cups her face to look his way, “I’m not gonna be too far; I’ll be in the guests house, right outside the patio door. Beck’s here… she’s gonna stay with you for as long as I’m out, she’ll sleep next door, okay? You’ve got your phone on the nightstand, anything and I mean anything you need, just text me and I’ll text you or call you back as soon as I can; deal?”

She nods, eyes watering; she cups his face and the saddest smile ever show in her face.

Dean and Jo enter Sam’s room, she winces at the smell of alcohol in the air. Sam is sitting on the floor, his back leaning on the side of the bed, scotch in hand. He won’t even lift his head when they walk in.

“Hiya Sammy, look, baby bro; I’m not gonna be here for a couple of days. I’m sorry but Cas can’t turn this off; but hey! Jo is gonna be here and take care of you. You better behave, don’t forget she can kick your ass” Sam does not seem to be listening at all, he just takes another sip of whiskey, “Sammy please, stop drinking that much, man… Ruby needs you”

Dean sits next to him, “Look man, I know this is fucked up and it hurts like hell… I can’t even start to understand how much and I hope I never will… but drinking and walking away from your wife is not gonna solve anything. Hell, I feel her pain and I’m not even her mate but please, Sammy, go to her, hug her… maybe tell her you love her? Please stop hurting yourself. Jo will take care of you; I should be going… promise me to think about what I said, alright? I’ll be in the guest’s house, text me if you need me” Dean hugs him and leaves.

**

This is officially the worst heat in the history of heats. Well, at least the first two hours are; their bodies asking for sex… sex right this fucking second… tough… rough… mindless sex. But their thoughts are somewhere else. It turns out to be a painful knotting, full of guilt and regrets.

Thinking of feeling like this for at least two days is unbearable, “Cas, Babe, we need to stop thinking about them while we’re here. Feeling guilty is not gonna make the heat disappear. We need to enjoy it or die trying”

Cas chuckles, “I hope you’re just being a metaphorical smart ass” the Omega grin is beautiful.

“Anything to make you smile a little… Now come here, I smell a very very needy Omega and I got a knot with his name on it” Dean winks and Cas laughs a little louder. Five minutes later they’re fucking their minds out, putting all their hearts into it.

**

The heat goes by and leaves them with two and a half days of fucking and talking. They talk about how sad it all is. Dean is sure he’d die if any of this ever… no, he hopes that nothing like this ever happens to them.  They fuck when the heat forces them to, in between waves they eat nice food, they watch TV shows to educate Cas in pop culture. They share hopes, fears and dreams.

“I always wanted to own a restaurant, not a big one but successful”

“I wanted to become a well-known exclusive catering company, not expensive but exclusive, I wanted us to be the ones choosing who to work for and set the price accordingly. It doesn’t matter if it’s a two persons catering or a three hundred guests wedding”

“I always wanted a big house, like Sam’s and Ruby’s”

“And I always wanted you” Cas touches softly Dean’s kissing bruised lips.

“Back when life was simple, I wanted an auto shop of my own… and I kinda had it with Bobby in Sioux Falls”

“I wanted to find a reason to belong and always feared to fail. I was never able to find a place or a bed that felt mine, even with Lisa it felt like borrowed time”

“I always wanted a house… not as big as Sam’s but my own”

“I always wanted Sammy to be happy”

“I always wanted to be free. I wanted the person beside me to be unique, freethinker, independent, feisty, and who would stand up for what he believes… and then I found you. And you’re all that and more”

**

Alfie’s letter arrives to the office and is archived by Kevin under the ‘ _Unknown’_  folder for Ruby to check when she comes back to the firm; or at least until Ruby is ready to check her mail.

That’s not gonna happen in the near future, though.

**

After the heat, the mates go back to the house and Castiel goes directly to see Ruby. What he finds is heartbreaking; same position, same glass of water, same sheets, same night gown.

“Has she even moved?” Cas asks Becky in a very low tone.

“Barely. She’s gone to the bathroom, of course. And she even went to the balcony once, stepped outside, looked at the sky and went back to bed… after that she got even worse. I tried to feed her with real food but she won’t take anything but crackers and water. I couldn’t even have her take a shower… I failed her, Castiel… I’ve cleaned her tears… I’ve hug her… shit, she’s my sister and I can do squat for her… I’m so worried”   

“We all are, Beck. I’m not a shrink but it’s been less than a week so this was kind of expected. It’s taking too long though, so I’ll most probably call a psychiatrist in a couple of days; I haven’t done it yet because she…  _they_  deserve a few days of mourning before they medicate their postnatal depression”

“Yeah… I understand. Sam has tried to talk to her but it didn’t work, they’ve cried themselves to sleep together once, arms wrapped around each other. Sam left after a while, she tried to comb her hair but didn’t have the strength to do it, I tried to help her but she just let herself fall onto the bed and started crying again”

“Beck, thank you so much for your help, please come see your sister as often as you want; your parents and brother as well, please tell them so. I think it’ll be helpful to see them around” she nods and kisses her sister good bye promising to come by the next morning.

Dean goes to talk to Jo, she’s in the kitchen.

“How’s he, Jo?” Dean asks taking the coffee mug his sister handles him.

“Mhm… broke, helpless, vulnerable, sad… heartbroken… He seems ready to give up on her… Dean, don’t get me wrong for what I’m about to say but he needs  _you_ ”

“Did he go to see her?”

“Yes, he did. Once. They didn’t talk too much but he hugged her and they cried together for hours and fell asleep in a hug. Then he went to his room and drank half a bottle of vodka, and why is there so much alcohol in this house and where the hell he keeps it?... anyway, Becky told me that after he left she ate more crackers. He did good to her but he’s more hurt than before”

“Last time he went to her room and tried to hug her, he drank two bottles of whiskey so this is an improvement” Dean considers.

**

“Ruru, hey girlfriend… how are you?” Castiel hugs her, she really needs a bath, “You know what I was thinking? I’m gonna fill the bathtub so you can relax in the water, how about that, uh? I can help with the hair so you make yourself pretty for Sammy” she looks at him as if she doesn’t understand the words. He goes to the bathroom and fills the bathtub with warm water and salts, “Come on, bath is ready… c’mon Ruru, you need to do this… do it for me, please!” she looks at him again for an eternity and finally nods.

She just sits in the tub; arms limp at her side doing nothing. After a while when it became obvious she was not even touching the washcloth he decides to do it for her. So Cas washes and rinses her hair… he even bathes her body, she’s not even shy about it. She just lays there while Cas soaps her body and he feels his eyes starting to water; it hurts like hell seeing such a strong woman reduced to a senseless body with no will at all.

Castiel helps her out of the tub, towels her and even dresses Ruby. She can’t even move by herself, she doesn’t even care, nothing matters anymore. The baby is gone and she’s even losing Sam. Sam must hate her… she killed their baby… she’s a murderer and now he hates her.

She must have said something out loud because Castiel stops dressing her and blurts out, “What?  _WHAT_? You are  _NOT_  a murderer. I swear of God I’ll slap you if I ever hear you saying such a stupid thing again. And Sam is not going anywhere; but you need to understand that he lost his baby too, he’s also mourning… and scotch seems his way of choice”

Ruby reacts at that, just a finch, “Is he really drinking that much, Cassie? He never drinks much. I want to see him, Cassie, please. I need him” she clings to his neck and keeps repeating  _please_  over and over again.

“Shhh, Ruru… easy…shhh. I’ll go look for him, alright. You look beautiful, my friend. I’ll be right back” she nods and stays seated on the edge of the bed looking at the door, expectant.

**

Sam is a mess but at least he takes a shower by himself. Dean choses the clothes for him, helps him with the socks and makes sure that the t-shirt is not inside out. Now combing the hair is something entirely different. Dean looks at JO, “I have NO idea whatsoever how he takes care of his hair… I was guessing combing maybe? Could you please do it, Jo?”

Sam stays absent; Jo combs his hair, talks to him and tries to make him laugh totally unsuccessfully. When Cas enters the room he doesn’t even bother to look.

Cas goes right to Dean and speaks in quiet voice, “She’s asking for him, I bathe her and I  _think_  she’s ready. She was gone until I told her that Sam was drinking the pain away. She wants to see him” Dena nods and goes to kneel next to Sam.

“Sammy, bro. Ruby is asking for you. She wants to talk. You think you’re ready? You look nice and your hair looks good”

“Looks more than good, it looks beautiful, Sammy. You’re ready for a date” Jo intervenes.

“I miss her, Dean. I really miss her but she won’t talk to me… and if she does all she does is apologize. I don’t need her to apologize… I need her!”

“Maybe it would be a good idea to accept the apologies so she can move on from that and then we can all work it out from there” Castiel makes a point.

Sam looks at him for a while as if trying to make a decision, “I’ll go and see her now” he passes the hand on his hair and heads to the door.

**

Sam enters their room to find Ruby sitting on the bed looking at her own knees; he sits next to her taking her hand.

“Honey, I miss you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you the moment it happened”

“It’s my fault, Sammy, not yours. It’s me the one to blame, and I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry” she starts to apologize and now the words come in a rush, as if she can’t help it, “I was reckless and worked too much and exercise too much and did not take care of myself enough. I’m sorry. I killed our baby… I’m sorry, Sammy, please Sammy I’m so sorry” the tears falling freely again, her eyes never parting from her knees.

Sam cups her face making her look at him, “Honey, no, Rubs please… don’t… it’s not your fault. Ruby, please! You didn’t kill our baby. If you need me to forgive you I’ll do it, I can do that for you; but I will never think you did this on purpose. I love you, Ruby… I love you and I will never ever ever blame this on you” Sam smiles at her.

She looks at him in the eyes for a moment and starts sobbing, bursting into tears, “I missed you, Sammy. I need you right beside me every night. Please don’t leave me… please don’t you leave me too”

Sam hugs her tight, kissing her forehead, her eyes, “I’m not going anywhere, Rubs, I promise… I will never leave you” they lay in bed, spooning, crying their son together, they fall asleep exhausted out of emotional distress.

Half an hour later, Dean and Cas open the bedroom door to take a peek and see them sleeping entangled, their faces a bit more relaxed for the first time in days.

**

Around ten in the morning it becomes obvious that they’re gonna stay in bed so Cas brings them a tray with green tea, some toasts with cheese and bread sticks. When Dean goes to pick up the tray most of the breakfast is still there, but they’ve eaten a little and drank all the tea. They’re again laid down, they’re crying again… but this time they’re crying together.

Cas, Dean and Jo think they will eventually be okay. They will see they’ll get to it.

**

That afternoon the doorbell rings and Chuck enters the house. Sally takes him to the kitchen where Dean is helping Cas to fix an early dinner for Sam and Ruby.

“Hi guys, how are they doing?” Chuck greets the mates.

“Hi, Chuck” Cas turns shaking Chuck’s hand, “Broken, but at least they are together now. I don’t see a fast recovery from this. I don’t see an easy way out”

“I know, Castiel, I’ve filed enough divorces after this kind of events. Mated or not, it’s something very difficult to surpass. Most of the mated couples re connect after a few years apart, but anyway… hope it’ll never be their case. I like Sam. He’s a good person, he was even able to overcome his own designation and become the best human being he can be. He’s good for my niece” Dean smiles and nods at him.

“You wanna see them, Chuck?”

“No, I think it’ll be distressful for Ruby. Seeing me will make her think she’s neglecting her job and I want her to relax and take all the time she needs. I’m here to talk to Castiel.” Cas turns around and nods at a chair for Chuck to sit.

“I’ll be taking your case from now on, we’ll need to schedule some appointments in the next few days… we need to teach you how to say things and especially what  _not_  to say”

“Thank you very much, Chuck” Cas is almost shocked at this gesture, because he knows Chuck Shurley doesn’t take many cases nowadays and the ones he takes he charges as if he’s made of gold.

“It’s nothing, Ruby speaks very highly of both of you, it’s only logical that I take your case. So…the meeting… We don’t want to tell you what to say because that’s witness tampering but we can teach you which words to use and which ones you have to avoid. Teach you how to and how  _not_  to react at the other party’s attack. So! Email me your schedule and we’ll set our meetings on available timeframe. I’ll be heading back home now, and guys, to both of you… thank you very much for taking care of my niece.”

“She’s family, Chuck. Family don’t end with blood. She’s been a Winchester from the moment she mated Sammy.” Dean states.

Chuck shakes both men’s hands and leaves.

 

 

 

 

*Authors’ note*

_We’re so sorry about all this but hey, it’s just life!  We thank you for joining our little Universe. Stay with us… there’s an exciting journey ahead!_

_Naniquena and Fridarules_ _♥_


	29. Drowning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors, Naniquena and Fridarules, would like to welcome our new Beta. Everybody say hi to @victimoflove.  
> Awesome work, girl. Welcome aboard. We love you!

_Don't pretend you're sorry_

_I know you're not_

_You know youve got the power_

_To make me weak inside._

_And, Baby, you leave me breathless_

_But it's okay cuz you are my survival_

_Now hear me say I can't imagine_

_Life without our love_

_And even for ever_

_Don't seem like long enough._

 

 

 

Dean almost drops the remote when Sam enters the living room.

 

“Woah, Sammy. Good to see you up, you want a coffee? I can just…” Dean is already on his way to the kitchen.

 

“No, Dean. Thanks. I just came down because; I just can’t stay in bed anymore”

 

“How is she doing, Sammy?” Dean's voice is laced with concerned for his grieving sister. “I tried talking to her this morning when you were in the shower, but she wouldn’t talk to me.”

 

“Yeah, I know she’s trying, Dean, she’s trying so hard. Every time I bring her food she eats a little bit more, I think that she finally understands that if she doesn’t eat she’ll have to start taking vitamins and pills. You know Ruby, she does not want to do that.” Sam replies about his wife.

 

“Well at least it’s a step onto the road to recovery. So that’s good news right? Dean says hopefully.

 

“Uh huh. It’s a small step, but a step anyway. So it’s a start. Ruby is sleeping now.” Sam says as he yawns, arches his back, and rolls his neck. “So I just thought I would stretch my legs.” But he ends up sitting down right next to Dean on the couch.

 

Truth be told, Sam hasn’t left Ruby alone since her breakdown. He’s tired though. Tired of being sad, tired of crying, of being heartbroken, tired of sleeping, waking up and then crying all over again. Sam is tired of being tired. Sam needs a change however small, so he sits and watches the news with his brother. Cas had to go to the restaurant for a couple of hours to handle some “end of the world” problems with the tomato supplies, or something along the lines of that, Dean isn’t all that sure. So it’s just him and Sam, like “the old days”.

 

Dean’s cell rings and sees that Lisa is calling him and says “Hey Lis, whaddup?”

 

Lisa answers, “Hi Dean, I’m driving right now, so I have to make this quick. _Check your email!”_

Dean hears her honking her horn. “Look, check your email _NOW_! Gotta go, call you when I get home.” and with that she hangs up.

 

Well, that was weird. Lisa _ORDERED_ me to check my email now.” Dean says to Sam as he eyes the phone skeptically.

 

“So, what are you waiting for? Open the freakin' email dude.” Sam practically screeches.

 

“Okay, okay Samsquatch. I’m on it.” Dean already starting the laptop and logging in to his email account.

 

Dean opens Lisa’s email and looks at it like it was written in Chinese. No, actually he thinks Chinese might be easier to read than this. Whatever this is. He doesn’t understand a thing he is reading.

 

Frustrated and tired of waiting to hear what is going on Sam says “Gimme that.” Then for the first time since everything had gone wrong, Sam has excitement in his voice, “WOW! Just. Wow. Well of course this was always a possibility, taking into account mom and dad’s genes. They made _me_ , of course. Just WOW, dude.” Sam just seems to be stuck on repeat.

 

“What? What? Fuck, Sammy spit it out, in English” Dean says starting to get agitated.

 

“So get this, Dean.” He turns the computer screen to show his brother the email. “We’ve got another MetaAlpha in the family.” He’s so happy for his big brother and nephew, that for the first time in what seems like forever a smile shows on his face.

 

“What?” A bemused smile appears on Dean’s face.

 

“The test, Dean.” Sam explains “The Gender designation test. Ben’s a MetaAlpha, Bro! Congratulations!” and Sam truly is excited about it all.

 

“I’m the father of a Meta?“ Dean slowly coming out of his shock. “I’m the father of a Meta, Sammy!” He says joyfully. They hug and laugh.

 

“Awesome, dude!” Sam says and he’s full of joy. “You’ll have to look for Meta schools in Phoenix. They’re usually expensive, but you already know that they’re free for Metas. You’ll need to file for shared paternity and for all of the perks and services available for him. The day he finishes college everything will be free except for food.” Sam explains.

 

“I know Sam, I still remember helping you with your own paperwork back then.” Dean sits back next to Sam. “I still can’t believe it.” He looks at Sam and smiles.

 

**

 

It’s July the 26th the day of Castiel’s deposition. Chuck called him to his office so that they could travel to the courthouse together. Of course Dean is with him. Chuck congratulates him on Ben’s paternity and his Meta status. He also gives him some great tips on how to get the most out of all the Meta benefits Ben will receive once he turns 13. Castiel listens very closely.

 

He wants to be the best parent he can possibly be to Ben. A very important point soon dawn son Cas. “Chuck, Ben’s living in Arizona with his mom. Are the Meta laws the same there as they are here in California? I mean sure he’ll be living with us half of the time, but his primary residence will be in Phoenix.”

 

“Well, hmm I see. It’s not ideal for this situation. He will get more benefits if he were to live in California. As your legal adviser in this matter, I would _strongly_ recommend that Ben and his mother move to LA.” Chuck offers.

 

“Yeah, not sure how that’s gonna fly with Lisa.” Dean’s concerned clearly noticeable in his voice. “I’ll talk to her about it and see what she says though. Thanks Chuck”.

 

Dean and Lisa had decided that he would be the “lucky” parent that got to fill out all the paperwork. It’s okay with him though since Ruby’s firm is charging all the counseling hours to Castiel’s trust fund. It doesn’t matter what the topic of the inquiry is. Being _registered_ _mates_ gives them the legal chance to do that, which is very fortunate for them. There is no way they could ever afford an attorney.

 

So with Chuck’s help, Dean fills out enough paperwork to last a lifetime. Between all the custody forms and all the Meta forms, Dean has definitely had his fill. It’s all worth it in the end though, because when he leaves Chuck’s office today, he’ll do so with a son and the knowledge that the kid’s future is secure. Ben will be able to choose from any University he wants.

 

It’s all smooth sailing from here on out, no roadblocks along the way, no money issues. Right now he can even choose whether he wants to attend a private school or a public one, that specializes in MetaAlphas of course. The choice is all his, but Dean would prefer it if he went to the public school. Sammy chose to go to a public school, and at the time it helped him to “keep it real”. Being around a diverse group of people instead of everyone thinking that they’re better than everyone else kept him grounded. When Ben turns 16, he’ll receive a car and money for everything but food. He’ll also have access to a house the day he graduates from college, but it all comes with a price. He must go to school and study one of the majors that preapproved for Metas. A Meta can’t be an actor or a painter, those are just hobbies. All Metas are required to become lawyers, doctors, stock brokers, CEO’s, politicians, etc. The crème de la crème of whatever high profile profession they choose. He will also have to get married before turning 28, and have a minimum of 2 children. His whole life will be guided by the Meta Council. Oh, he’ll have free will, most of the time, just as long as he obeys the rules.

 

It’s funny, Dean thinks, because he’s subjected to all the same rules, but with none of the benefits. Somehow, now though it’s not as aggravating as it used to be, his son will have it all, and that’s okay with him.

 

“Now Dean, you’ll have to arrange a trip for Ben and Lisa to sign some papers as soon as possible. He’s 11, right? The sooner we finish up with the paperwork the better. He can switch o a Meta secondary school and be on track.” Chuck states.

“Yeah, good point, Chuck. I’ll talk to Lisa and see if we can do it this week. Ben's on school break and Lisa got the week off at work.” Dean replied.

“Great, now that that’s all settled, let’s go. Court is waiting” Chuck says gathering up his things. When they are in the elevator, Chuck asks, “Castiel, do you have any questions before we get to court?"

 

“No, not really. I just hope you can wipe my brother’s charming smile of his face.” Cas says, closing his eyes, trying to relax.

 

“You just leave your big brother to me. Don’t let him get to you. This actually isn’t the first time he and I have “faced off” in court. You didn’t hear this from me, but his “charming smile” is no match to my “sweet puppy face” He laughs, the mates joining along with him.

They get into the firm’s car and head to the courthouse.

 

**

 

The deposition audience is quite simple, just as expected. Dean sits in the front row and that makes Cas relax, just a bit.

 

He’s asked to state the basic facts. Castiel answers with steady voice, surprising himself.

 

The clerk starts. “Please, state your full name, date of birth, occupation and gender designation”

 ** _Castiel_** : “Castiel Anaximander Novak. December 10th  , 1981. Restaurant owner. Omega.” Those last words said with his head high and a proud tone in his voice.

 _Clerk_ : “With whom do you own the restaurant "The Angel’s Pit"?

 ** _Castiel_** : “I co own the restaurant with Charlene Amelia Bradbury.”

 _Clerk_ : “Were you at said restaurant on the night of May the 2nd?”

 ** _Castiel_** : “I was.”

 _Clerk_ : “Are you the head chef at your restaurant?”

 ** _Castiel_** : “Yes, I am.”

 _Clerk_ : “Did you work in the kitchen on said evening?”

 ** _Castiel_** : “No, that night I was in charge of the front desk. We had a Meta birthday party and two more Metas were having dinner as well.”

 _Clerk_ : “As head chef, did you supervise the food coming out of the kitchen on said evening?”

 ** _Castiel_** : “I supervised the final presentation of the plates, but I did not supervise the making of any of the dishes.”

 _Clerk_ : “Who did supervise the making of the evening dishes?”

 ** _Castiel_** : “My sous chef at the time, Charles Warlon.”

 _Clerk_ : “Charles Warlon, and where is he now?”

 ** _Castiel_** : “He resigned that same night and never came back for his final wages.”

 _Clerk_ : “Do you have his contact information?”

 ** _Castiel_** : “All of my employees contact information, past and present, can be found in the file that has already been presented to the court at the beginning of this proceeding.”

 

Castiel is doing great, Dean is so proud of him and looks at him with a knowing smile, doing

wonders for Cas’ self-confidence.

 

 _Clerk_ : “Mr. Novak, will you please describe, in your own words, what happened on the night of May the 2nd at approximately at 8:30PM?.”

 ** _Castiel_** : “I was at the Winchester’s table serving the cake when I heard a woman scream. When I turned around to see what all the commotion was, I saw a man choking. Seconds later Meta doctor Samuel Winchester was up out of his seat and taking charge of the situation. When he diagnosed what was wrong with the choking Meta, he went into action. Dr. Winchester quickly injected him with an EpiPen©. 10 minutes later, Dr. Winchester, the Meta, and myself were on our way to the hospital.”

 

The Q&A continues like that for about two more hours. It’s tiresome and boring but Castiel keeps his focus on the task. He remembers every tip given to him by Chuck, and playing his part to perfection. The deposition ends with the promise of more questioning to come.

Dean and Cas leave the courtroom and take a cab to the firm to pick up Baby. Chuck remains in the halls of the courthouse speaking to the media. The mates are grateful that they don’t have to deal with that.

 

**

 

Now that Sam is somewhat out of his depression, he can start to handle Ruby’s, That means that Cas can spend a few hours a day at the restaurant now. They have some big issues to resolve.

 

First of all, Alfie’s still missing. Charlie and Castiel have tried to find him. They’ve called every number they have in the hopes of reaching him. They have knocked on his door and the door of anyone who may know him, but to no avail. Alfie seems to have vanished into thin air. This setback is terrible for two reasons. The first being that their friend is missing. Second, now they are faced with having no sous chef. So they must hire someone right away. The sous chef Nick, the experienced guy they had put all their hopes in seems the perfect choice now.

“Cassie, this problem with your brother-in-law is taking up all your time. We can’t function without a chef, a sous chef _and_ an assistant chef.”

“Yeah, I know Char. Trust me, if I could leave Ruby alone for longer than I already do, I would, but” Cas starts to apologizes. Charlie cuts him off “No, it’s okay, I understand. Our problem remains, though.”

Cas knows Char is right and says “Well, we’ll have to call someone. How about Nick? Or the brunette girl?” Cas checks the files they saved on the computer. “I just hope they’re available like, tonight.”

“Either of them will do. I like them both.” Char sighs.

So Castiel texts both of them and hopes at least one of them texts back.

 

**

 

“Hello” Dean answers the phone to an Unknown call.

 

“Good morning. Am I speaking with Mr. Winchester?” A man says in a very professional voice.

 

“Yes, this is Dean Winchester. What can I do for you?”

 

“Hello, Mr. Winchester. This is Deputy Williams from Sioux Falls; I have a call for you from

Sheriff Mills.”

Dean’s heart starts racing fast. _Bobby_. That’s all he can think. God, please let him be alright.

“Hey Dean” and she sounds so cheerful Dean instantly relaxes. She wouldn’t be so joyful if there was any bad news to deliver. “How are you, kiddo?”

“Hi, Jody! Way better now, after what happened to Sammy.”

“Yes, Bobby told me. I’m so sorry.” Jody says softly

They talk for a few minutes about Sam and Ruby, and then it's back to business.

“I got news, Dean-O. We found Crowley. Well, not us, but he’s here. He arrived today. You told me to let you know whenever there was any news about your mom’s case. This is the biggest news we’ve got in almost twenty five years. So, are you coming? I could get you in for some “chitchat” maybe?” Jody says.

“Wow, Jody, I mean this is big. Like big, fat news” Dean says excitedly,“Yeah of course I want to come, I mean, I’m not in Sioux Falls at the moment, you know I’m in living in California now, and flying is not an option.” Dean admits.

“Yes, I remember you don’t like flying.” There’s a few seconds of hesitation. “So I guess you’re ot coming, then?” Jody says disappointedly.

“Hell no. I’m not missing facing that bastard. Not a chance. I’ll be there in two days. Two and a half if I have to stop to sleep at any time.” Dean confirms.

“I’ll wait for you, just make sure to drive safe. Okay?” Jody says with concern in her voice Dean promises to be safe and hangs up with a thousand things going through his mind all at once.

 

Dean leaves the phone on the desk. It’s Friday, he’s at work and about to leave for lunch break. He looks at the phone and makes a decision. He has to talk to his boss and hopes the guy doesn’t fire him, given he’s taken more and more time off lately.

 

“Hey, may I come in?” Dean says nervously. His boss waves him in and makes Dean wait for him to finish a call.

“Woah, What’s with the face; are you okay? His boss worries.

Dean drops himself on a chair. “Not really, look, boss I know I’ve been having tons of problems lately, and you’ve been very understanding. Uh, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just gonna say it. I’ve just received a call from the police station from my old hometown in South Dakota. It’s a legal situation, so I have no choice but to go. I’ll do overtime and work on weekends but I’m gonna need at least a week off. I’m so sorry about this, do you think there’s a chance that I will have a job when I come back?” Dean asks, afraid of what his boss’s answer is going to be.

 

“You know if it was something else we would have to talk about it.” Dean’s heart stopped for a moment, his mind going a thousand miles per hour thinking of any option that may help him keep his dream job. “But,” his boss says, this time there’s understanding in his voice. “Since it’s a legal issue, of course you can go. I don’t understand why you look so abashed, the law backs you up! One might think you’ve never been an Alpha before” his boss snorts.

Dean won’t say he’s never thought or acted like an Alpha in his whole life, that the only designation he’s ever paid attention to was when doing his brother’s paperwork when Sam turned thirteen and was presented as MetaAlpha; he did all the legal stuff and his dad only showed up to sign it all.

 

“Yeah, well it’s just that I like this job and I’d like to keep it. It’s just that I’m a witness in a murder investigation, they got the guy and I have to be there for the lineup. I was five but I never forget a face. Boss, I know I’m asking too much, but if Sam calls please don’t tell him, he’s got enough with his loss”. Dean asks “No problem, Dean. Just carry on and good luck.” I guess I’ll see you in a week then, thanks again, Jeff.” Then Dean gets up to leave.

 

**

 

Dean hops in the Impala and runs to the house, grabbing clothes from the closet without even looking at what he’s packing.

 

Fuck, he has to leave a note. If Dean calls him, Cas is gonna want to come along and that would mean a waste of at least two hours. He would have to explain the whole story, go and get him at the restaurant, come back home and wait for him to get ready. Dean just can’t wait though.

He can’t waste a single minute, so he takes a piece of paper and leaves a note without really thinking of what he’s writing.

 

**_«I need to go. I’m sorry. I love you with all my heart. Dean»_ **

****

Dean leaves the note on the nightstand and then goes to see Ruby and Sam. He knocks on the door and opens it but he finds them sleeping all octopuslike entangled. He thinks it’s better this way, so he won’t have to answer any questions from Sam.

Sam has enough with his current situation. He’s slowly coming out of his depression but still has Ruby’s to deal with, and Dean will not put this shit on his shoulders too. Not unless he sees Crowley with his own eyes, maybe, only maybe _then_ he’ll tell Sammy.

On his way out, Dean runs into Sally who’s coming back from the garden, nods at her and asks “Please take care of them, Sally” and without waiting for an answer he leaves, duffel bag in hand through the main door.

 

Dean opens the car door and takes a last look at the house, the place that is home, family and love. He throws the bag and phone on the back seat and drives away.

**

 

Almost two days later, a sleep deprived, hungry and anxious Dean is about to get to Sioux Falls. He slows down and dials Bobby’s number.

“Miracles do happen! How are you, is Sam okay?” Bobby asks.

“Yes, both Sammy and Ruby are doing better, Bobby. Are you there? I’m almost home”

“ _Almost home_? Where the hell are you, idjit? What’s going on?” Bobby demands.

“I’ll tell you as soon as I get home. Actually Bobby, open the door. I’m two blocks away.” Dean tells him.

 

“ _DEAN_! What a surprise! You’re here to stay?” Bobby says excitedly.

“Bobby, not again please, you know I’m not. I’m mated and this is a conversation we’ll have later.” Dean hugs his Dad tight, probably tighter than ever before, and it feels right.

 

**

 

Ruby’s depression is not getting any better. She wakes up crying, and is basically on "autopilot" as she tries to get back into a daily routine. She starts with the simple things first like taking a bath, and changing her nightgown. She eats whatever Sam puts in her mouth. Yes, it has gotten to the point where she will only eat if Sam feeds her. She’s lost what little will to live she had left. She will talk to Sam or Cas but not to anyone else. Sam doesn’t want to call a psychiatrist just yet, because he’s certain he’d want to give her drugs. Sam doesn't want that, and he will only resort to that option if it's the very last, and only thing they have left to try.

 

Ruby can’t help it though. She just feels so empty. She tries to fill some of that space in her soul by keeping herself glued to Sam. She accepts his kisses and caresses because she knows he’s doing his best. He deserves to have his wife back. Ruby is really trying her hardest to get better, but honestly she really just wants to be back in the safe cocoon of their bed. Sam stays with her every second she’s awake, but it’s beginning to affect him. He tries to be supportive, and be everything she needs him to be, but he's at his breaking point. After a few days of constantly staying in bed, it’s become irritating. Sam feels as if she’s not trying hard enough.

 

Ten days after the miscarriage, Ruby’s parents come over every day, as do her siblings. She refuses to see them though. She won’t let anyone in her room but Sam, Cas or Dean. Even Sally brings fresh bedclothes but it’s the men who lay down the clean bedding and do the cleaning.

Sometimes Sam thinks Ruby’s gone and the only thing left of his wife is a broken, empty shell. He starts to think that maybe asking a psychiatrist for help is not such a bad idea after all.

Coming to that conclusion has made Sam a mess. He’s confused, tired, sad, and scared beyond belief. With everything that is going on, and experiencing all these emotions the main thought running through his brain right now is, ‘ _where the fuck is Dean?_ ’ This is a moment when he needs his brother more than ever. He’s always been there for Sam, and now Dean’s ditched him _and_ Cas.

Castiel is a walking zombie, his heartbroken face is almost unbearable to look at. The guy doesn't have to put up with all of their problems, he still did though, from the very moment everything went down the drain. He’s family, and Dean left him.

Ruby asks for Castiel every time she wakes up, he’s the only one she will talk to and have a normal conversation with, but the guy can’t even hold himself together. Sam doesn't want to lie to her, but he knows that she can't handle the truth right now, so all he tells her is, “He’s at work, honey. He’s has a catering job this Saturday and he's working really hard. Don't worry though you still have me" He smiles and kisses the top of her head, then lays his head on top of hers so she can't see his frown. He gives her a giant hug, Ruby returns the hug with all her strength which is not much. “Stroke my hair Sammy, please”, she all but wines. Her hair, once silky and lovely, is now dry and thin, and given her refusal to eat properly it doesn’t surprise him. He has tried to give her vitamins but she wouldn’t take them.

 

Sam kisses her forehead again up and thinks ‘WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU DEAN, YOU SELFISH BASTARD’

 

**

 

At his bedroom at Sam’s house Castiel looks at the brief note for the millionth time in the past two days. He called Dean as soon as he found the note and kept doing it once an hour and as the hours passed with no answer, he was now calling constantly. Two days later he's made over a hundred calls. It has to be a new record. It's painfully obvious now that Dean doesn't want to speak to him, what other reason would there be for him not answer his calls? That doesn’t mean he’ll stop calling him.

 

Dean doesn’t want to talk to him. He doesn’t have the guts to explain to Cas, face to face or phone to phone, why he left him in a heartbeat, no phone call, no text message, no explanation except for a note on the nightstand.  _A freaking note_. What the fuck, he’d send him a text for the silliest reasons and for this he leaves a note?

 

He's spent the last two days crying, being in full on "zombiemode” and being completely useless at helping Sam with Ruby. He's plotted the worst ways to get revenge followed by the most imaginative ways of making up with his mate, now, after taking a while to think properly, Castiel is in his office at the restaurant beginning to panic.

What if something has happened to him or the car and he’s stranded with no phone. What if..., and none of the scenarios he pictures makes any sense but his mind tries to ease the pain somehow. Dean left him.

 

He can’t go to Sam for help because Sam has already called Dean’s workplace to no avail. Sam has even called and checked in with Lisa. Cas can’t just go and throw something else on his shoulders. He’s got to contact his friends and family. Problem is that Castiel hasn’t been properly introduced to Dean’s friends here in California, and Jo has some of the numbers but he can’t ask her to do more to help. She’s already helping with house, Sam and Ruby, and also helping at the restaurant.

He puts off calling Ellen and Bobby to the very last minute. He really doesn’t want to worry her, but now he’s has no other choice.

“Hello Ellen, this is Castiel.”

“Hiya Cassie. How are you? How’s Jo? How are the kids?”

“Sam and Ruby are still trying, but it’s hard but I suppose it’s understandable, though. Jo is just fine; she’s a good girl, Ellen. And I’m, well I’m worried about Dean. I haven’t heard from him in almost three days now, he left without a word” He pauses and unfolds the note for the hundredth time, the thing looks like a million years old, all wrinkled. “He left me a note, but it doesn’t say much.”

 

He reads “« **_I need to go. I’m sorry. I love you with all my heart. Dean_** ». I don’t know, Ellen. You and Bobby are the only ones I hadn’t called yet so, I’m running out of options here, Ellen please tell me your son is fine. _Please_ ” Cas begs, on the verge of tears.

Ellen sighs on the other side of the line “Cas, he’s alright, kiddo. I can’t tell you much, because it’s not up to me whether to reveal the situation or not. One thing I can tell you though, Cassie; he’s okay.”

Ellen feels like crap for keeping information from Castiel, it’s obvious that the guy is having a hard time dealing with this and it’s logical. Dean was stupid to leave LA without properly explaining anything to his mate. Why the hell did he not contact the guy when he got to South Dakota? “Look, maybe Bobby can give you more information about Dean’s whereabouts.” She hopes that Cas picked up on her hint.

 

The pressure on Cas' chest disappears but is replaced by a new kind of sensation, well, not new per se, it was just dormant until now. Dean’s okay and Dean left. Dean left _him_.

“Thanks Ellen, it’s good to know he’s safe. Yeah, I guess I’ll go and do that, I’ll call Bobby after I hang up with you.” He feels dizzy with relief and new hopes. “Ellen? Thank you very much for your help.”

“You’re family, Cassie; no need to say thanks. Please tell Jo to keep on supporting Sammy and to update me on any change, alright?"

 

“I will, Ellen. Good bye.” Cas hangs up and starts to think of what to do with the information he has. Dean’s okay.

Dean is obviously in Sioux Falls with Bobby and still he hasn’t called him; maybe he’s got no signal, or Bobby doesn’t have a home line. One thing's for sure, he’s there.

 

Cas gulps a whiskey. Dean is alive and well and he didn’t have two minutes, in three days to call his fucking mate. Castiel is pissed.

The whiskey is not settling well in his empty stomach and is rapidly going to his head. Cas fights the tears back, why in hell did he not answer one of his two hundreds texts. He won’t cry over Dean, _NO_ , he deserves better. Castiel deserves to be told in the face whatever explanation his mate has for him, even if it’s that he won’t come back.

It hurts like a motherfucker.

He can’t take it anymore. Castiel takes his laptop and searches for flights to Joss Foss Field. It’s a Monday, in the middle of school recess, by the end of the month, he has to get lucky. He’s going through the search when Charlie enters the office.

The papers she’s looking for are right behind Cas’ desk so she takes them and when she turns around the computers screen is right there.

“Cassie, what are you doing?” She wonders.

Cas doesn’t lift his eyes from the screen and answers as if it were obvious. “I’m flying to Sioux Falls today, or tomorrow if I don’t have another option.” He states as he clicks on reserve.

“What the hell, Cassie, he left you, didn’t he? The fucker left _you_ and _his brother_ in his worst time ever. I love you, Cassie but I have to say it, _I told you_! He’s bad news, a moron, and nothing but a bad person. I just wish I had him here to give him what he deserves for treating you like this.” She yells.

 

“Charlene Amelia Bradbury, you are my best friend, well, I _think_ you are because right now at this moment you are behaving like anything but that. Being my best friend doesn’t give permission to bitch about my boyfriend; or to think that you know what happened, when not even _I_ know myself. This isn't working, Char. I really love you, but I can't be your friend when you're acting like this.” He says strongly.

He stands up, closes the computer, grabs his backpack and leaves her astonished.

 

**

 

“Honey, I got a call from the hospital. I have some patients I need to check on and I can’t keep on putting it off anymore.” Sam lies to Ruby for the first time since they met. “I’ll be back in a few hours, okay? Jo is here and will stay with you”

Ruby looks at him with empty eyes and nods.

 

Sam leaves the house with guilty feet. He really loves Ruby, but this is destroying him. He’s in pain 24/7, his heart is broken and he thinks that it physically hurts. He’s so sad he can barely stand. Sam wants to help and be there for his wife, but she’s depressing him more and more every day, and he's afraid of ending up as bad as her. So the math is simple, in order to help her to get out of her state, he _has_ to get better himself. A little air is gonna be good.

The hospital is a place like any other for him to disconnect from home. There he can work with the kids again and do something for others. Also Dylan is having an infection and nobody seems to know how he caught it. He has to do something about that. It’s his freaking job.

**

 

Dean dials up Jody, “Hello Jody, Dean here. I’ve just arrived at Bobby’s”

“Hi kiddo, safe road trip?” Jody checks her schedule while talking with Dean, she knows there’s not much time for what they have planned.

“Yes, could have used some more rest, but you know, wanna get this done and go back to my life.” He knows he didn’t handle his leaving the right way, but he’s a wreck with the news and the possibilities.

“Good. Look, I know, okay? I’m checking and I think I can sneak you in tomorrow, you’re gonna stay?”

“Yeah, I can do that, I think. I’ll come back to you later on that.” Dean looks at the street through his old bedroom window, amazed at how small it all seems now. “How are you, Jody? It’s been awhile.” He asks his old friend.

“I’m doing just fine, Dean you, on the other hand, I heard you have some big news.” She says in a chipper voice

“Really, you've already heard? Well, yes, I do have big news, wonderful, great big news, but I want to talk to you about it in person, not over the phone.” He admits. He has a smile on his face and in his voice just from thinking about his mate.

“You're a bit too late to play the mystery card Dean. Bobby is so pissed off, and proud of you at the same time, that he just can’t keep his mouth shut. Literally, everyone who matters in town knows.” She laughs a little.

“Oh God, last thing I would of expected from Bobby, trust me.” Dean say shocked at his dad.

“Well, yeah. He told us you mated with a restaurant owner. Some sweet prick who stole you from us, but that’s he's also an amazing person. It’s kinda funny, he doesn’t seem to be able to decide whether he hates or likes your mate.” She says confused.

“Yeah, I know, Jody. He likes Cas but he hates me not being here.” Dean admits.

“You have to understand him, kiddo. For the past ten years it’s been you by his side, you’re his son by right. He just didn’t see it coming, you staying back there, I mean. The past few weeks have been hard for him. He got used to having you here. Now he’s all alone.” She reasons with him.

“I know Jody, Bobby and I still need to talk about this, when we were in Santa Monica there as no opportunity to talk this through. Not that I don't love talking about this," Dean says playfully. "I’ll let you know when I’ll go by and have that chat, I got a couple of things to do first.”

“That’s alright, Dean. He’s gonna be here for three more days, they won’t take him till the first of the month and anyway it’s gonna take at least 48 hours to process his sorry ass. One thing's for sure, boy, it’s him. I had my chance to talk to him when he got transferred and the bastard is proud of it, he even brags about it. Makes me sick. You’ll have to have all your self-control to face this shit. I know I did.” She warns.

“I’ll do my best; I’m not sure how I'll react. I guess I’ll find out when I face him.” Dean sighs, closing his eyes, feeling his anger rise. “I’ll be there soon, Jody. I promise.” With that he hangs up the phone.

 

**

 

Sam tried to do his rounds, but only managed to visit Dylan. That was only because he’s made the kid his personal challenge. As a doctor he’s not supposed to get personally involved with his patients but with Dylan he can’t help it.

He had decided to stay at the hospital for about four hours, because even though he needs air he still worries about Ruby. He loves her, no matter what that'll never change. It’s been three hours and he’s about to call it a day when he realizes he’s has to do something or this is never going to end. They’ve been trying to make it work among the family, but now with Dean gone and Cas’ own depression and shock getting worse with every minute his freaking mate fails to answer his phone calls and texts, makes Sam understands they need help. Professional help, that is.

 

“Jess, hi. Do you have a gap in the appointments for me?” He asks the secretary.

“Hello, Doctor, let me see.” She checks the appointments for the morning on the computer. “I don’t see any but I can make room for you in no time. Hospital rules, he’s available for you anytime you need.” Sam smiles at her, but it’s not even a shadow of his regular adorable puppy dog smile. “How about in an hour? Do you think that'll work for you? I could make the next patient wait and…”Jess asks.

“No, Jess," Sam cuts her off, "that’s alright. I can come back after lunch, thank you.”

Sam goes to the cafeteria and buys coffee. Anything else makes his stomach uneasy. He sits at a table, going through his phone and decides to text Dean one more time but as soon as he presses send he understands it’s a stupid thing to do. He’s not gonna answer him. Sam wonders what’s wrong with his brother. He's so mad at him and doesn't think he will ever forgive him. Suddenly the noise of the cafeteria is too loud for Sam to stand, so he goes back to his own office and waits.

 

About forty five minutes later Sam sits in for a consult with Dr. Abbot, Cedars Sinai's most highly esteemed psychiatrist; an expert in his field.

 

So Winchester, how are you and your wife handling things?” The doctor starts.

“Not good, Abbot, not good at all, but my wife is getting worse by the day. She only leaves the bed to go to the bathroom and won't eat anything but she’s been eating a little bit more if I feed her. Sometimes, and only if we force her, she'll eat some cheese and chocolate. She drinks water but just enough to stay hydrated. She spends every moment she’s awake crying. She won’t see anyone but me and my brother’s mate. She refuses to see her parents every day. All she'll say to me is ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you’. I’m worried sick Abbot, I don’t know what to do anymore.” Sam unloads on the doctor.

“I see, it’s not unusual under the circumstances but there are some things we must consider, before we continue." Dr. Abbot says as carefully as he can. He doesn't want to upset Sam anymore than he already is. "For example, has she ever tried to hurt herself? Or, has she ever said anything that would make you think that the idea has ever crossed her mind?”

“No, I don’t think she ever thinks about anything, except the loss of our baby. Besides that, I know my wife Dr.Abbot, and I can say with full certainty that she would never harm herself in anyway, no matter how depressed she is" Sam says firmly.

“Well, that’s good. Not the fact that she only thinks about the loss of your child, but that she doesn't want to harm herself." The doctor goes on to explain, "Postpartum depression is normal after a miscarriage. In a normal delivery it's usual to feel the empty womb as a loss, but in that case the baby makes it easier to deal with it. In the case of a miscarriage, we don’t have the baby to fill the loss. I could go and talk to her to help your wife understand this is not her fault. it’s a problem of the new Era; or it’s just fate.” Dr. Abbott suggests.

“Yes, thank you, I think that would help. My only concern is helping my wife get through this, and returning back to our normal lives". Sam says, his voice is high-pitched and he is almost whimpering, Dr. Abbot can tell that he's fighting back tears. "Thank you Abbot. What can I do in the meantime?”

“Continue talking to her, tell her she’s important to you, that you miss her. You have to tell her how much you loved, and still love the baby too. Let her know that you feel the loss as well. Make her feel cherished, caress her, stroke her hair, make her feel loved. If you don't see any changes soon, or worse, you see her falling deeper into her depression, please don’t hesitate to call me. Especially if she gets any worse, you call me day or night, I don't care what time it is. My only concern is her wellbeing. Now Winchester, I realize that you are a MetaAlpha, and a damn fine doctor as well. Every patient that comes through these doors that is under your care, you put them first, and you give them the best care that you possibly can. Normally when I am treating the spouse of the doctor, I tell them not to treat them like a normal patient, because they don't get personally invested with a patient. I've heard stories about you though, how you treat every single patient like they are your only patient. You make them feel special, taken care of, safe, but most of all you give them hope that you can make them better. That's a hard thing to do when you work in the pediatric oncology ward. So Dr. Winchester, I want you to go home and treat your wife, your mate, the mother of your future children, like you would any of your other patient. Only this patient is your favorite patient." Dr. Abbott says serious throughout his whole speech but with a smile on his face toward the end. "Also, I'm not only offering my services to your wife, I want you to stop by my office every day to discuss how you're feeling. I won't take no for an answer, It's not an option, how do you expect to help rid your wife of her depression, if you are not free of your own?" Dr. Abbot asks Sam. His voice now taking on a clinical, but concerned tone.

"Now, I want to know how _you_ 're doing?"

“Uhm… me? Sam says taken aback, he came in expecting to talk about Ruby not himself. He's not even too sure what he wants to say. Dr. Abbot is right though, how can he expect to help and try and "snap Ruby out of it" if he's still going through it as well. So he figures he might as well talk to the doctor, and see if that helps. It sure as hell couldn't hurt anything.

"Well", he thinks for a moment, then all of his emotions come crashing down on him. "sad, pissed, tired, heartbroken, and I feel like a failure. I'm a doctor dammit, I should've seen the signs, should've been able to do something about it. Sometimes the pain turns physical, as if my heart is so sad that it physically breaks a little more every minute of every day that passes. I want it to stop, I can’t handle it anymore. I spent days and days drinking myself into oblivion, until my sister Jo, she’s my surrogate sister but my sister all the same, anyway, she told me Ruby was in deep shit and it snapped me out of it immediately. I cleaned myself up and went to talk to her. I stopped drinking that day and stayed away from alcohol ever since.” He says the last part proudly.

“I can tell you everything you’ve just told me is perfectly normal. The grief has just started, it’s the first stage. Ruby and you are probably in different stages at this point, but you both are gonna get there eventually. It’s obvious that she needs more help, which makes perfect sense, it's not only as a loss emotional for her, but you have to remember it was a physical loss as well.” Abbot pats Sam’s shoulder. “We’ll help her, Winchester, you’ll see.”

 

**

Dean goes down to the garage with two coffee mugs, he decided to man up and face Bobby. The conversation he had with Jody made him brave and there’s not time like the present so here goes nothing. _C’mon Dean-O, you can do it_.

“Bobby, uhm can we talk?” Dean asks now rethinking this whole talk, but he has to do it, he knows that, so he stays.

 

Bobby takes his head out of the hood of the car he’s been working on for days now, not because it’s difficult to fix, but because he likes to take his time. He’s got nothing else to do and gets bored very easily.

“Yea, kiddo, what's up?” He asks happy to have his son back in _their_ garage.

“Do you know why I’m here?” Dean questions his dad.

“Nope, not really. Didn’t really have the time to think about it, and you may be an idjit, but you’re not mute, so I figured you'd tell me eventually.” Bobby cleans his hands with a grease stained drag and takes the coffee mug from Dean’s hand.

“Careful, it’s hot, old man.” Dean jokingly warns.

Bobby grunts and sips, he didn’t burn his tongue, no sir. Dean smirks and sips his own coffee, a bit more carefully than Bobby.

“Originally, I came here to see Crowley, you do know that they’ve caught him, right? So Jody called and I snapped. I just left a note at home and hit the road” Dean explains.

“You did right, boy. This is a once in a lifetime chance. Jody told me but I didn’t want to call you because I wasn’t sure how it would affect you and Sam, with all he’s already going through.” Bobby explains.

 

“Yeah, well. I didn’t tell him anything either. You’re right, he’s got enough shit to deal with.” He thinks for a moment on how to say what he needs to say. “Now that I have had time to think, I realize there is another reason, even more important than that bastard of Crowley.”

“Well what is it idjit, I'm not a mind reader, talk” Bobby grunts.

 

“I need him, Bobby. I need Cas like the air I breathe. I know this is a fucking chick flick moment, and I promise it won’t happen again, but you deserve to know the truth. Whenever this is all over I’m going back to LA for good this time. I’m selling the apartment down the road and you can keep my part of the garage, I´ll give it to you. You can sell it and retire, or keep on working, but I can't stay. I need to be with him and I’m planning on proposing as soon as I return to LA.” Dean finally stops to take a breath, afraid of how Bobby will react to what he just told him.

Bobby doesn’t say anything, just looks at Dean and drinks his coffee; Dean doesn’t know how to read that.

So Dean continues, “Look, Bobby, you’ve been more a dad to me than my own dad ever was. You were always there for us even when our own dad wasn't, and I hope you’ll continue to be. ’m so sorry I didn’t tell you before you left Santa Monica, it’s just that it was really confusing, and coming out to you…well, you know I was never into dudes, I’m still not, it’s just Cas. It was difficult to accept, not for me, but for you. I didn’t want to push it on you, I wanted to give you time to accept the idea. He’s a good person, but you already knew that, right?” Dean' desperate now for Bobby to say something, to say anything.

Bobby leaves the mug on the hood of the car and hugs him tight, they stay like that for a few seconds, and as soon as Bobby breaks the hug he hits Dean upside the back of his head. “HEY! What was that for?” Dean screams out of surprise, of course.

“Uhm well let me see, one, for being a stubborn sonuvabitch, two, for letting me leave LA without even confirming what was going on with you, three, for not giving me enough credit and thinking I wouldn’t understand, and last but not least for thinking I’ll take your half of OUR business.” Dean looks at him trying to process what his Dad is saying. “I got news for you too, princess. I’m going to sell the garage and the house because I'm moving too. Are you ready for this?... Lawrence.”

 

“WhWhat? _You old fuck_ … you let me pour my heart out like a chick and then you tell me you’ve been okay with it the whole time, and that you're moving in with _MOM_?” Dean punches Bobby’s shoulder and hugs him even tighter than before. “Holy shit, Bobby. Congratulations and it's about fucking time, man. You’re not getting any younger and you two really need each other. She might be scary as shit, but she loves you. I’m so happy for you two, Dad.”

 

**

 

He likes planes. The feeling of being supported in plain air by just metal is invigorating. The vast emptiness he sees through the small window, the random clouds give him a piece of mind to think things through and relax at the same time.

 That’s any regular flight, now it’s not invigofuckinganything. He’s tense, terrified, pissed, sad, violent and everything in between.

 He misses Dean.

The plane arriving to Sioux Falls gives him a sense of closeness. That thread that Dean, Ruby and Sam talk about, that mating connection or whatever it is, feels real. He used to feel it back in LA when Dean was there with him, but he never knew what it was. So when his mate left, Cas was so stressed he didn’t notice the thread had broken. Now that he’s close to Dean though, he feels it again, and it’s awesome.

He knows his mate is close, and that softens him a little. But he’s still mad, so mad he’d shout and kick and beat Dean, then later maybe, just maybe, he’ll fuck him.

That’s if they’re still together.

 


	30. If I don't have you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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If I don't have you  
To hold on to  
I can't go on in this world alone  
Baby it's true If you say goodbye  
I would die  
I'm a star with no light  
A day with no night  
If I don't have you

 

* * *

 

 

Castiel stood in the middle of the airport, backpack in hand, looking around not sure of where to go. In their time together they have talked about a lot of things, but the location of the garage in Sioux Falls never came up. Also, he didn't quite think through his money situation. He used his credit card to book his flight, but didn't think to bring more money with him. The only cash he had was the few bucks in his wallet. This was not good.

Okay, so a taxi was out of the question, and he won’t call Bobby. The guy most probably would lie to him anyway. Cas knows his mate’s father doesn’t like him. Well, it’s not that he doesn’t like him, but, he sure blames him for Dean’s decision for staying in LA.

Cas Googles ‘Singer garage’ and thankfully an address and phone number pops up. So with those in hand, he clicks off his phone and thinks of his options.

‘ _Credit Card don’t fail me now_ ’, he thinks as he heads to the rental car area. Smiling to the girl behind the counter as he asks for a car, making sure that it has GPS in it.

He follows the GPS instructions, but he's driving slow. He's trying to let the anger subside, at least until he's face to face with Dean. About forty five minutes later, he's finally just a few blocks away from "Singer’s Garage". The sun starts to shine right into his windshield, almost blinding him, yet a black spot appears in front of him. Cas has no doubt what, or actually who it is.

The car is darker than any other, and is bigger than any other modern car on the road. The sun may be blinding him, but Castiel can always tell the shape of the Impala. As he approaches, he hears the loud music coming out of Baby. It's Zeppelin of course, and Cas loves that song, when he gets to ride shotgun, holding Dean’s hand, that is. He follows the car fairly close, he can tell Dean is alone and that’s good, it's one thing less to worry about.

Dean looks in the rearview mirror at the car that’s been following him for four blocks and when the car turns when he does, going at almost the exact same speed, well that’s definitely weird. ‘ _WTF? This guy’s gotta be crazy to follow me like that. Oh shit, what if he’s connected to Crowley?_ ’ Dean thinks. Well he's gonna have to find out right fucking now.

If this is the Meta killer's doing, then Dean’s not gonna stay put and wait for the moron to try to hurt or kill him. The hell with it, Dean's not afraid of those bastards. As long as Cas is safe back at home, they can try to do whatever they want. He’s gonna face this shit.

Dean stops the car and the other car pulls over. _'So this is it, we’ll see who’s tougher, asshole.'_ Dean manages to think, as he shuts the Impala's door and heads towards the other car. The sun on the windshield prevents him from seeing the other guy’s face. As he gets by the car’s driver’s door, he looks around to see if there was anyone else waiting to get on him. One guy he can handle with one arm, two or more would be a bit more difficult, and he doesn’t have time for that.

He gets the door open and when he finally looks inside, he screams, “CAS!!! What the fuck?”

"' _What the fuck yourself_ ' "Dean, I am not talking in the middle of the road." Cas tries to keep his angry look, and not to give away that he’s already feeling way better. Fucking pheromones, fucking stupid, Alpha boyfriend. Dammit, he’s still mad as hell, and he's sad, and, but yes, he's madder than he is sad, he’s not gonna let this go that easily. So he refuses to leave the car, as much as he’s tempted to, because he knows if he does, he’ll hug, and kiss, and touch Dean, and that’s not fair. He has to stay mad. Dean left him, and he’s gonna pay for it.

“Cas, get out of the car, Babe. What the hell are you doing here? Did something happen, is everyone alright?" Dean panics.

“I was, UGH, looking for you. YES! Yes, they’re okay” Cas tries to control himself and refrain from yelling, “Can we please go somewhere where we can talk in private? Maybe wherever it is you're staying?”

“Cas, what?” but Cas won’t get out of the car or answer any of Dean’s questions. So he decides it's best to do as his mate says. “Okay, Cas. Follow me, I’ll drive slowly so that ugly bitch you’re driving can catch up with Baby.” Dean jokes, but Cas is not in the mood. So the Alpha just gets in his car and drives away, constantly watching the shine of the other car in his mirror.

They arrive at Singer’s Garage a few minutes later, they park and Dean tries to take Cas's hand to lead the way in, but the Omega folds his arms in front of him, and waits for Dean to just go in.

“Want a beer, Babe?” Dean’s already taking the bottles from the fridge. Cas takes it and drinks half of it in a gulp. They sit at the kitchen table, and Dean waits for Cas to start talking. He's sensing the distress in his mate, especially by the way his Babe’s eyes are fixed on the bottle and not on his.

Cas leaves the beer for a moment, and takes something out of his trench coat's inner pocket. He throws it in Dean’s hands on the table. “The hell is that?” Cas asks his Alpha.

“A note? Look, Cas, I was in a hurry, and it was dangerous...” Dean tries an apology.

“Let me see if I got this right, oh big Alpha, you were in such a hurry that you just couldn’t make a call? Or, or, I don’t know, text me maybe? Or, Jesus, I don’t know, at least fucking explain why you were leaving! You could have told me that, your cat died, your best friend got hit by a car, or died, or whatever the fuck you’re doing here, JUST FUCKING SOMETHING!” Castiel stands up throwing the chair back and not even caring, “But no, OH NO, Mister Big Bad Alpha decided to leave the pretty little Omega behind and play solo and left his mate with a stupid note. A FUCKING BREAK UP NOTE, DEAN?!!! You are NOT ALLOWED to break up with me in a FUCKING NOTE! Especially one that says the break-up line, _'I have to go'_ , then followed by a fucking _‘I love you’_!”

Cas picks up the chair and sits back. His face is red, his eyes squinted, trying to hide the water already forming from the tears of anger. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Dean kneeling at his feet, he feels his mate taking his hand, but he won’t allow that. Dean’s as calm as he can be though. Seeing Castiel so upset and with every right to be, he says, “Babe, I’m so sorry. I wasn't…”, but Dean never gets to finish the sentence; Cas takes his hand off Dean’s.

“NO! You sit there. I don’t want you to calm me with kisses and pheromones. I’m already calm enough because of that! If we were doing this over the phone I would be really screaming, but no, I can’t even do that. You. Left. _Me_ . You left me alone with no explanation. You left your own fucking brother, bleeding, in his most heartbreaking moment ever, with his wife so depressed that she only sleeps and holds on to Sam. You just left WITH NO FUCKING EXPLANATION! Well FUCK YOU DEAN, FUCK YOU AND FUCK YOUR NOTE! _WE_ deserve more than that. Your freaking family deserves more than that! _I_ , your fucking mate deserve more than that.”

Cas pauses for a second trying to remember how to breathe, covers his face with his hands and takes a deep breath. Dean doesn’t dare say a word, he knows Cas isn’t over.

“A phone call, Dean, just a phone call. I called you like a hundred times the first day, but you just didn’t answer. I texted you a hundred times more and still you never replied. Then I had to stop because it was obvious your phone went dead or you just turned it off. The voicemail was the only thing on the other side of the line. Dean, I was... so fucking scared. All I could think was ‘P _lease don’t let anything happen to him_ ’”. At that memory Cas starts to openly cry, shaking violently, all the anger, the stress, and the fear finally ripping up his composure. Cas wants to punch him, and hug him, and kiss him, and he wants to lay in bed and sleep the whole day through. The relief physically hurts, “I missed you, Dean, I missed you so fucking much” Castiel finally whispers. He’s run out of anger, of inner strength to keep on yelling and just wants it all to be over. Cas wants to be home, cuddling with Dean in their own borrowed bed.

Dean sees Cas face covered in tears, he hears Cas's silent sobs and takes the cue. His venting moment is over, or close to being over. He decides to try and approach him. Dean himself in physical need of contact, the distress Castiel has been emanating since their encounter is driving him crazy of anxiety, with the need to run and comfort his mate.

The Alpha circles the table, tests his boundaries by placing a hand on the Omega’s shoulder. Castiel sighs and Dean’s chest hurts more. There wasn’t much that Cas needed to be happy and Dean failed to provide it, he sucks at relationships.

He can’t find the words, he sucks at talking too (is there anything he’s good at?), so he hugs Cas. At first just his arms around his mate, testing, trying. When he feels Castiel lean his head onto his neck, he squeezes and pets Cas’s back. “Cas, man, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I’m an asshole. I was so worried trying to make all this go away as fast as I could, and never thought you would get so worried. I didn’t think of Ruby, and I left without telling Sam because I wanted to protect him too, he’s going through enough to put this on his shoulders as well. As for why I didn't answer my phone, I forgot my phone in the back seat of Baby, and it was on vibrate, and I never even realized it, when I realized it went dead I remembered I left the charger back home, so I just bought a prepaid phone to call Bobby. I should have called as soon as got here, but I’m an idiot Cas. I was so overwhelmed by everything happening here I just kept postponing it. I’m just so sorry, Babe, I never wanted to hurt you.” and Dean kisses Castiel.

At first Cas tries to push Dean away, but Dean keeps repeating, “I’m sorry, Cas, I didn’t want to hurt you, Babe, I’m sorry.” a kiss for every word he says against Cas lips and eyes, and Cas's shell finally cracks, and he surges into the kiss. Just one good deep kiss, after that it’s all pecks and words of regret on Dean’s behalf, and silent acceptance from Castiel.

Eventually Cas gets his voice back, he’s got to know. “Why, Dean, why so suddenly? What’s so important that couldn’t wait for Sam and Ruby to get better? Because she’s bad Dean. She’s so bad, that Sam thinks that he lost his baby _and_ his wife. So it better be good, because otherwise I’ll have to think you’re an ass. I know it isn’t Bobby, because I talked to Ellen, and she would have told me if this, 'whatever Bobby is to her', was ill.”

“You talked to El and she told you I was here? Damned woman” Dean whispers.

“No, she didn’t, she only told me to call Bobby. I just decided to come over instead. What? Ellen didn’t tell Bobby?”

“Who knows? These two have so many secrets lately that even I, am shocked, but yes, Cas, it’s bad. It’ll be alright, I hope though.” Cas looks at him in the eyes while Dean tries to find the words to explain, “It’s my mom’s killer, Cas, the actual killer, the guy that tried to kidnap my baby brother. They’ve caught him, and he’s being held here in custody. That’s why I came back home, the sheriff is a friend of mine and called me. She told me he’s going to be deported and tried for cases from all around the world. He’s British and his name is Crowley. I need to know, Cas, I need to look into his eyes and get the answer to the question that’s been on the back of my mind since I was four. Why?”

Cas hugs him tighter, and Dean kisses Cas temple, “I don’t know what to do Cas. I’ve been here for over a day and I still haven’t been to see him. I kept postponing it, after mating with you things look different. I don’t think I hate the guy anymore, but maybe I’m just a coward.”

“You are a lot of things, Dean Winchester...” Cas cups the Alpha's face to make him look at him, “I could call you a lot of things, but never a coward.”

Dean and Cas remain arm in arm for a little longer, right there in the middle of Bobby’s kitchen. Both of them refusing to let the other go.

 

* * *

Back in Santa Monica Jo is worried about Sam and Ruby. All other concerns have been put aside since Ruby’s miscarriage, her meetings, even her amazing dates with Gabe have been put on hiatus. Jo misses him so much that it makes her days feel longer than usual. There’s definitely something, or rather someone, missing.

Jo gets excited when she hears her phone. She has a new message.

**G: «Good morning, Gorgeous! How are your bro and Ruby?»**

A tiny smile forms on Jo's mouth Gabe’s texts always manage to make her feel better.

**J: «Mornin', Stud. He’s better, at least he's trying hard to be. He’s been going to the hospital a few hours a day. No changes with Ruby, though. I’m so worried about her.»**

**J: «She started to eat a little bit more if Sam feeds her, but she almost never leaves the bed. It's really scaring me.»**

His answer comes quickly.

**G: «I on’t understand why Sam refuses to call a shrink; he’s a Meta, he should know a good one.»**

**J: «Actually, one came by today, for about 30 minutes. She refused to see him, but the guy was patient, and talked to her through the closed door ‘till she let him in.»**

**G: « Good. Pumpkin, I miss you.»**

**J: «Ruby just sits on the bed with the TV on, but I don't think she’s even watching. The shrink says it’s a good sign anyway. I miss you back, so hard and strong.»**

She likes playing dirty and Gabe loves it.

**G: «Girl, I miss your heels digging into my bed.»**

**J: « I’m using my slippers now, would you like me to switch to heels?»**

**G: «Uh, slippers, so sexy. Anything else besides that or just slippers?»**

**J: «Just my regular stuff, my emerald spaghetti strap t-shirt and a matching pair of boy shorts.»**

**G: «Ooh, nice. What’s the inscription on the back?»**

**J: «Inscription? What makes you think there is one?»**

**G: «Because someone told me there’s always one.»**

**J: «Salty kisses»**

She could even imagine Gabe choking on that.

**G: «Girl, oh please tell me to come over. I could give you some, you know?»**

**J: «Some what?»**

**G: «Salty kisses»**

Jo giggles like a teen.

**J: «Oh, Gabe, I’m sorry, but I don’t think you knotting me here is appropriate under the circumstances.»**

Gabriel stands up from his desk and locks the door.

**G: «When I think of me knotting you, oh girl, it is anything but appropriate.»**

**J: «What do you have in mind, Gabe?»**

**G: «Mind? Uh, a mind, yeah, I probably need one of those.»**

**J: « That bad, huh?»**

**G: «Yeah. Nipples, I want to lick and bite and eat them, with chocolate.»**

**J: «I see, what else?»**

**G: « Oh, baby, so many options, there's so many parts of me that I wanna cover in chocolate and watch you eat it right off of me. Like, my chest, my navel, and well, just keep going lower.»**

**G: «And you? What do you want?»**

Gabriel can barely control himself from jerking off, right there in his office. His secretary is just a couple of feet away outside the door. He loves this game as much as any other game Jo makes him play. His phone dings with the answer.

**J: «I want to eat you whole.»**

**G: «Oh, have mercy baby, go on.»**

**J: «I want you to kiss my spine, just tiny small kisses down my back and then bite my bottom cheeks, then…»**

Oh, that is plain torture.

**G: «AND?»**

**J: «Oh Stud, always so impatient. Will you ever learn, my Angel?»**

**G: «Guilty as charged, while biting your ass, can I be touching something else?»**

Now, that’s it, Gabriel can’t take it anymore. He’s gonna explode like a teen, so he unzips his pants and takes out his hard cock and holds it tight in his hand, suppressing a moan, which was very fortunate, because his damned secretary July is now knocking, “WHAT?” He practically grows at her. July tries the doorknob, finding it odd that the door is closed. So she knocks again and says, “I have some documents for you to sign, Sir." Holding the papers high as if Gabriel could see through the wooden door.

He’s been expecting these documents for two days, and signing them cannot be delayed one second, “Okay, give me a moment.” He barks out to her, very annoyed that his playtime with Jo has been interrupted.

He does his best to be presentable to face July, but the wood between his legs is kind of hard to conceal. So he opens the door and almost runs to sit behind his desk hiding his hard on. His dick still trying to escape his pants through the fabric, so Gabe tries to take control of his body again thinking of dead puppies, and Dean sucking off his brother, yep that one seems to do the trick. By the time July hands him the documents, Gabriel is getting soft again and can focus on them instead of his cock.

Dammit, it’s a thick folder she’s carrying too. This is gonna take a while, the sexting will have to wait for later.

Not even when he was sixteen and jerked off five times a day did he have such a sore wrist after all the signatures. July finally leaves the office with all the papers signed, and Gabe walks her to the door to lock it after her. He picks up his phone and is breathing heavily, eight messages from Jo. Shit.

**11.01.12 J: «NO, u can’t. I’m tying up ur hands cuz u’re greedy»**

**11.02.53 J: «Now I’m licking your shaft so slow u’ll scream my name over and over again, u’ll beg me to let you fuck me»**

**11.08.45 J: «You’re touching yourself, aren’t you?»**

**11.12.55 J: «I need answers Novak»**

**11.14.35 J: «I can’t be here touching myself without answers from you, we’re a team»**

**11.17.12 J: «Okay, I’ll finish this myself without ur help. YOU OWE ME BIG TIME»**

**11.25.55 J: «You okay, Gabe? Did anything happen? Pls, text me back»**

**11.28.41 J: «Gabe, really. I’m starting to freak out. Is everything okay?»**

Fuck. Gabe feels like shit, she got scared and Gabriel feels like shit, he should have texted her. Gabe calls her.

“Hi, Pumpkin. I’m okay, baby, something came up at work and I had to deal with it. Tons of papers needed to be signed and July wouldn’t take no for an answer. So sorry to make you worry.”

“Oh you better be sorry, Gabriel Novak. I’ll make you pay. I was freaking out.”

“Please, baby, I’m truly sorry. I guess we kinda lost the mood for phone sex, right?”

“Gee, ya think? I could cook dinner tonight here at Sam’s, if you’d like. But don’t expect to see much of the "Salty Kisses" pants, though.”

“I can work with that. What time?”

“It’s my day off, so around 7 is alright. See you then, Gabe.”

“Bye, Pumpkin. I’ll keep my hopes high for those salty kisses.”

 

* * *

“Rubs, baby, please, come on, just eat. It’s your favorite, see? Quiche Lorraine. Sally made it especially for you. Come on, just a few bites, please.” Sam begs, holding the fork at level with her mouth, trying to tempt her with the wonderful smell of the combination of bacon and onions.

She makes a face at the food, her stomach uneasy, but she looks at him with empty eyes and opens her mouth allowing Sam to feed her. She eats half of the quiche, but without any enjoyment. Sighing and turning her head away when she feels she can’t eat anymore. She won’t even wipe her own mouth. Sam has to do it for her, with trembling hands, again on the verge of despair himself.

“Honey, please talk to me, Baby I need you. I need you to look at me. Baby, I need you” Sam’s voice is thin and cracked, as he leaves the tray on the nightstand.

Ruby opens her eyes big and breaks down in tears and says, “And now I’m disappointing you again”.

“Oh no, no, no, no honey, never! I’m not disappointed with you. I just miss you so much” Sam tries to convince her once again. She lets him wrap his arms around her, and after a few seconds she hugs back, still sobbing, she kisses him and apologizes, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry Sammy. I love you so much. I’m so sorry.”

Ruby is aware she has to do something to get out of the state that she's in, only she can’t, no matter how hard she tries. She has tried by getting up and going to see the backyard through the bedroom window, or by taking long baths trying to relax. Only she can’t. Whenever she begins to feel relaxed, she feels like she’s betraying her son. How can she be alright when her baby is gone? It’s not fair to him. The pain is too much to handle, the guilt is too much to bare. She misses Sam too, she misses him so much she wants to scream. She needs to do so many things, but she can't find the strength to do any of them.

She pleads with him, “Please Sammy, don’t leave me. I’m sorry, I’ll be good, I’ll try. I promise I’ll try harder, as much as I can.” She squeezes a bit harder and kisses him.

 

* * *

Dean is holding Cas tight. They wake up in Dean’s old bed, Cas’ back against his Alpha’s chest. Dean’s arms around his Omega’s, holding him in place as if he's afraid he’d disappear into the night. They’ve slept together, limbs entangled, lost in each other’s warmth and scent. For the first time in a few days, they’ve let themselves be dragged into an easy sleep, feeling complete.

It’s 7AM and Dean needs to get up. Jody will be waiting for him early in the morning to sneak him into the cell blocks to see Crowley. He’s ready.

Dean tries to rouse his grumpy mate, “Cas, Babe. Wake up, man. I know it’s early, but let’s have breakfast and get this shit over with.” Cas growls and covers his head with the covers, “C’mon Cas. This bed is not that comfortable for you want to stay in late. It’s the same bed I've had since I was a kid, and even back then it wasn't comfortable.” He tries again.

Cas opens one sleepy eye and says, “I’m not having sex with you, I’m still mad at you.”

Dean sighs and says “I’m not asking for sex, Babe,” although Heaven knows he would love a nice make up sex session right about now, but he knows better than to even think of trying, “I was thinking maybe some bacon and sunny side up eggs?”

Cas mumbles some curses about Dean having a heart attack at the age of forty and stands up, squinting at the sun filtering through the bedroom window. The fuck is everything so shiny for?

“I’m making breakfast for me and Bobby, not sure you deserve it.” Cas says while heading towards the bathroom.

“I probably don’t deserve to shower with you either, but would you let me if I promise to keep it quick and rated PG? The water heater here isn't as good as the one back home, and most likely there won’t be enough hot water for both of us if we shower separately.” Dean explains to him.

“You’re right, you don’t deserve it, but I am in desperate need of a back rub after that mattress, so yes, you can.” Cas grunts, surprising himself at how easily he can conceal the fact that he’s happy to have woken up next to Dean.

Dean starts the shower while Cas strips and takes a piss, then gets into the shower first and waits for Dean to do the honors. The Alpha reverently rubs Cas’ back, washes his hair, and nope, neither of them is horny as hell, no sir. The only thing that keeps Dean from getting hard, is the knowledge that Bobby is already downstairs.

Once they’re already in boxers Cas stands on his tip toes and kisses Dean, confusing the Alpha just a little bit. He cups Dean’s right cheek, looking at him very sweetly and says, “You are a good man Dean Winchester, a little stupid sometimes, but a good man nonetheless, and I love you.” Then turning around he goes to the bed and finishes getting dressed, “Let’s go and make breakfast for the three of us.”

Dean looks at the floor, smiling, putting on his shoes, knowing Castiel has already forgiven him. Dean is sure this is how it feels to be brought back to life.

They have breakfast in the kitchen, Bobby is grateful to have Dean back in the house, if only for a couple of days. Also, Cas' cooking is always welcomed. They talk for a while over coffee and now it’s Cas' turn to be happy, because Bobby’s more relaxed around him, and it doesn’t feel odd at all.

 

Half an hour later Dean refills his coffee mug, takes his cellphone and goes into the living room to talk to Jody. Who would have known Cas and Bobby could be so loud when getting along.

 

Jody is waiting for him.

 

Around 9:00AM Dean and Cas enter Jody’s office.

“Hey, Dean. How are you? Who’s this gorgeous man with you?” Jody being her subtle self asks.

“Great to see you, Jody, you look amazing. This is my boyfriend Castiel. Cas, this is my friend Sheriff Jody Mills.” Dean says, proud to introduce his amazing mate to anyone and everyone.

Jody and Cas exchange hugs, and brief small talk, but soon it's back to business.

Jody asks, “Are you going in, Dean? We need to hurry if you are before the place is packed full with people. It’s been absolute madness since they brought him in here, journalists, lawyers, people trying to mob him, all kinds of wack jobs."

“Yeah, let’s do this, Jody. I need to get this out of my system the sooner the better. I have to close that door for good.” Dean says as he readies himself to see the man who destroyed his family.

“Just follow me as if you’d belong here, nobody’s gonna ask anyway.” Jody instructs. 

Dean is led to Crowley’s cell, when he gets there he takes a look at the guy. He’s old, not in his face, but in his eyes. Looking into his eyes is like looking into a pit, a dark, sinful hole that swallows every good thing around it.

Dean feels Cas at his back, soothing and calming him. Shouldn't Dean be offended by the presence of his mother's killer, they guy that tried to steal his brother to turn him into a breeding slave, as if his seed is the only important thing about him? Dean should be mad. A bit of yelling and name calling would be appreciated or at least considered normal, under the circumstances.

But Dean feels none of that. He just sees a poor little chubby guy. Hell, they guy wouldn’t even look his way, and when he does, it’s scornfully. Dean pities him. Poor mean bastard. He feels nothing by the looks of him.

He doesn’t even try to talk to the guy, what’s the point? It was twenty-five years ago and most likely he doesn't even remember Dean’s mom, no matter what Crowley had told Jody. He has killed so many people back in those days and Mary Winchester was just another "notch on his gun". Dean is about to leave, he even turns and takes Cas' arm, but then decides otherwise.

He turns back to face Crowley and very steadily he says, “My father spent most of his life hunting down you and Alastair, he died without even knowing that Alastair was dead. The son of a bitch actually did get caught in that fire my dad created to kill him. Since I was four I have hated you and Alastair for what you did to my Mom, and for what you almost did to my brother. Here we are today though, and seeing you here locked away, awaiting to beg for your life on the mercy of the courts, I realize you ain’t worth a single minute of my time, not a single thought, not even a memory. You are nothing, you are less than nothing. You’re a pathetic echo of a man and I hope you burn in hell right next to Alastair.”

And now he does take Cas by the hand and leads the way out, “Let’s go, Babe, we’ve got a life to live.” He says right before going out the cell door. Dean can’t remember the last time his chest felt so light.

They say goodbye to Jody, and promise to come by before returning to LA for dinner or lunch and a long talk. Jody winks smiling at Dean when he closes the shotgun door after Cas has gotten in. Dean sits behind the wheel and leans to kiss Cas, making Jody smile wider and wave goodbye as the Impala leaves the parking lot.

 

* * *

 

The mates return to Bobby’s house after driving by Dean’s own apartment down the road, the one that he had meant to make his home, but never did. Bobby is nowhere to be seen, so they head upstairs and curl up together in bed, kissing tenderly, comforting each other, no rush or need for more. There’s no need for sex now. All they need is each other’s touch.

Dean moves his head back away from Cas on the pillow, just for the sake of losing himself in the pool of Cas’ eyes, blinking slowly, hating the milliseconds that keep his gaze from his mate’s eyes. He feels so much joy, so much love that his chest hurts. Dean still finds it hard to believe that Castiel is really here with him.

Cas is his mate. Cas loves him.

Dean starts breathing really fast, his heart throbbing in his ears. Please, let this be real. He’s afraid of this being a dream, that’s why he clenches to Cas when he sleeps, he’s gotta make sure Cas won’t disappear when sleep claims him. The thought of waking up to an empty bed, all alone with only the company of Baby and forced to breed with a random Omega, makes Dean panic.

Dean knows that whatever he’s done to deserve Castiel must have been really something.

He realizes he doesn’t want to wait anymore, he can't wait for ‘ _the right moment’_ , what if it never comes? What if he misses it? No, he has to do this now.

Shirtless and in boxers briefs, Dean takes his arm from underneath Cas, he sits on the bed, feet on the carpet, and says, “I was planning on doing this properly but I just can’t wait even one more second, Babe.”

“What, Dean? What are you saying’?” Cas grunts and sits up and lets Dean position him on the edge of the bed, facing his Alpha. Once Cas looks up questioningly at Dean, the Alpha goes down on one knee and Cas suppresses a gasp.

Dean looks into Cas' eyes and starts, “I love you, Cas, I know you already know that. My whole life I’ve been skeptical, I always thought Mating was a fairy tale or at least, something that happens to other people, but not to me. I never expected to find someone to complete me. Then you came along, and now you’re here in front of me, and I can’t imagine my life without your smile anymore, like the one on your face right now. You make me so happy I could float away. I need your smile and your eyes on me forever. I need to be by your side in this world and in the next one too. All I am today is because of you, you make me a better person, you make me want to be even better. You make me the happiest man alive and I need to love you, and I want to show it to you for the rest of our lives and beyond. Cas, my love, will you marry me?” A perfect single man tear running freely down his cheek, his mouth shut, his breath held in anticipation.

Castiel looks shocked, speechless; he tilts his own head a tiny bit to the left, a small smile curving his lips. He raises his hand and sweetly wipes the salty river from Dean’s cheek, Dean leaning into the touch, eyes closed and kissing the palm of Cas’ hand.

“Cas, I know I don’t have a ring now, but I would very much like an answer” He asks, and he knows it’s stupid to be nervous, but still he can’t help it. When Castiel opens his mouth and takes a breath to start talking, Dean opens his eyes wider, trying to make those blue eyes that belong to him speak.

“Dean, my love, my life, do you really need to ask?” Cas cups Dean’s face in his hands and leans closer, noses almost touching, “You make my life perfect, Dean. I’d go to hell and back for you. I’d fall in every possible way. I’d let myself be hunted, I’d rebel against my family, and I’d do it, all of it for you. Yes, Dean, my answer is yes.”

Dean’s smile breaks even wider, and they close the distance surging into a long and tender kiss. Joyful tears running down both men's faces, as laughter mixed with quick pecks and hundreds of _I-love-you's_ from them both.

Eventually the tender and small kisses turn into something else. Dean stands up and hovers over Cas, continuously devouring his mate’s mouth, licking and sucking and moaning. They make love as if it was the first time. They explore and kiss every inch of each other’s bodies, taking time to find new places where to make the other scream the other’s name. They make each other go crazy, dicks so hard and ready, but not just yet. Dean wants to say ‘ _sorry’_ with his mouth and his hands. He starts moving south, tongue licking his own lips, savoring his mate’s dick in advance.

But Castiel has another agenda, this is a very special occasion, hell, it’s their biggest occasion so far, so a blowjob is not going to do the trick. He wants more; he wants this to be memorable.

So that’s why Cas takes control, turning Dean on his back and hovering over his mate, ‘his fiancé’ Cas reminds himself, as he lowers himself onto Dean’s cock instantly filling himself full of his Alpha’s flesh. He starts to ride him like a madman, screaming shamelessly, he leads them both to ecstasy, and comes when Dean’s knot swells against his prostate. Gasping for air and kissing Dean all over his face, he manages to whisper, “Yes, Love, a hundred million times yes. I would marry you right this second, naked and knotted, but I think our families would find it a bit awkward.”

“Oh, so now you’re funny” Dean jests.

“I’m the funniest man alive, look how funny I am.” Cas moves his hips once, twice moaning while making Dean come again, deep inside him, the warmth of his seed reaching his guts.

Dean thinks he probably had something to say about his funny mate, but right this second even his brain cells are high above the sky.

All Dean manages to say is a grunted “You play dirty, man”, followed by a long exhaled breath, making Cas’ eyes squint and darting the tip of his tongue out he circles his hips once more, and this time both of them orgasm, loud moans and dirty looks.

“Stop talking, Babe and keep moving. I wanna check something out.” Dean asks, coming down off his orgasm, his knot still trapped inside Cas.

Twenty minutes and a few orgasms later his knot recedes and they’re free to move and cuddle for a while, “What was that you were testing?” Cas asks him.

“I’ve been measuring our last few knottings. Usually it takes about 30 or 40 minutes to recede when we talk but don’t move much. Now if we’re talking _and_ moving, and coming I should add, we narrow it down to 20 minutes; you know, give or take. I think next time we should just keep on rocking. You know I think we should continue to experiment this further, so we have more results to compare.” Dean gives him a wink and a devilish smile.

Cas grins and after a few seconds the grin turns a snort, “So now you’re experimenting, aiming for a Nobel Prize, maybe? DEAN WINCHESTER, my dear _fiancé_ , if you want me to stop talking during the knotting to keep on fucking, all you have to do is ASK, you moron.” He kisses Dean all the same and sighing he frowns and asks, “Now, what time is it? Does Bobby come back home for lunch?”

“Oh CRAP! I totally forgot about Bobby.” He reaches back to the phone on the nightstand, “Oh, good, it’s 12:15AM, he’s usually home around 1PM, we’ve got about 45 minutes to get ready and make lunch. So hurry up, let’s take the least sexy shower in the history of engagements. What'd you say, _fiancé_?”

“Call me fiancé one more time and we’ll have to make that a dinner instead of lunch, and Bobby will go back to hating me.” Cas laughs while leaving the bed, “So, big boy, let’s take that unsexy shower and keep your father in a good mood.”

 

* * *

Bobby arrives and goes straight to the kitchen, finding the two boys laughing and the food almost done. They’re setting the table, and Dean takes three beers from the fridge and hands one to Cas and another to his dad.

“Bobby, we’ve got news.” Dean tells Bobby as he steps closer to Cas, putting his arm around his mate’s shoulders. _'My fiancé'_ , Dean corrects his mind.

“You went to see Crowley?” Bobby was grateful that Cas went along with Dean, he did not want to see the guy’s face. He was not sure he could refrain himself from trying to choke the bastard through the bars.

“Yeah, that too, I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now though I, well actually, _we_ wanted to tell you that we got engaged this morning.” Dean and Cas look at each other and smile fondly.

 

“You two idjits! What am I gonna do with you two? C’mere boy!” Bobby hugs Dean tight, “Kiddo, and congratulations.” Bobby turns to Castiel and pats him on his back, and half joking half seriously he warns him, “Make him unhappy, and you’ll have to deal with me and Ellen, and she’s scary. Congratulations, boy!” he hugs Cas fast and uncomfortably. It'll take him a while to get used to it, but he's getting there. “I suppose we all need to pack, then” Bobby smiles at them both, just one big happy smile. Sometimes life is good.

 

After lunch the boys go to Dean’s room and pack what little stuff he has. He has never been a hoarder, so all he has are some clothes, and a few of his mom’s belongings he had kept to remember her. He sold his dad's stuff years ago, nothing nice to remember there, the few good memories of his dad were linked to his mom anyway, and after her death it was all bitter and sad. Dean never wanted to remember his dad like that. He had also sold most of his furniture, the apartment he had bought years ago was never decorated, and he’s gonna sell it like that, there’s nothing there that he needs or wants. One piece of furniture will go with the guys to LA, it’s a small table Mary painted herself, beautifully decorated with angels and clouds. It’s lovely and Dean decided it would be the best place to put Cas’ mom’s vase. That way they both can look at it with love. Dean knows Mary would be very proud of her sons and their mates.

So is Ellen, Dean calls her and tells her the good news. “I’m so happy for you, son. I knew Castiel would find you. Please take care of each other. I love you so much, boy.” She says with all the love in her heart.

 

The next morning the Impala’s tires lower a bit with the weight of the boxes, the table tied to the hood, and Dean’s guitar over the boxes on the back seat.

 

They say their goodbyes and leave Bobby’s place, Dean takes one last look at the house that’s been home for over ten years. They head to the Sheriff's office to say goodbye and thanks to Jody, giving her the good news. Their dinner with the Sheriff will have to wait though.

 

Once on the road the silence falls over the car, they both have their own issues to go through. Dean has to make it up to his brother and sister in law, and Cas still has the Angel’s Pit to worry about. They stop at a diner to have lunch and the mood lightens a bit. They have plans to make.

 

“I think we need a house now, don’t you think?” Dean asks.

 

“Well, we always have my place. It’s nice, you said so yourself.” Cas tests.

 

Dean looks at him from over the coffee mug, “I said a house, not a sardine tin.” he laughs, “I think for the time being we’ll stay at Sam’s. They need it, anyway.”

 

“Gee, you think??” Cas mocks, but then feels bad when he sees Dean's sorrow, “Sorry, Love. Yes, they need us. Come on now, let’s go.”

 

Dean pays the bill and joins Cas in the Impala, it’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon, sunny and with a breeze, perfect day to hit the road. “Fasten your belt, Babe. We’re going home.” Dean says as he heads out to hit the open road. It’s a three day trip, now that Dean is in no hurry.

 

They talk, and sing along to the same old tapes that Dean refuses to update. Then Dean reaches a point where he needs to rest, so he announces, “It’s your turn to drive at the next stop.” Cas understands that this is something important. The only person Dean trusts to drive Baby is Sam, and that's only if it’s an emergency, or a well-planned event. After that first turn, night falls eventually, and they take three hour turns so they can both rest. They arrive at the mansion on the morning of the third day, tired but happy to be home together.

 

The scene they find quickly takes that joy away.

 

Cas goes straight upstairs to check on Ruby.

 

Sam is in the TV room channel surfing, nothing seems to be good enough to watch. Dean even sees him skip Doctor Who, and that’s a first time ever for Sam. At the sound of Dean’s steps he raises his head and looks at Dean with broken, teary eyes and Dean’s heart breaks into a million pieces. He throws his duffel bag and goes to hug his giant brother. Sam lets his big brother hug him and without a word he curls into Dean’s arms, hearing without listening to his big brother’s words of love, feeling his fingers run across his hair, comforting him like he used to do when they were little, “Sammy, bro I’m so sorry. I’m so, so, so sorry, kid.” Dean says as he holds Sam tight, feeling like they were kids again, like he used to soothe his baby brother after a nightmare or if he missed dad.

 

“So Sammy” Dean tries to make his brother think of something else, once Sam is calm enough, “Do you want me to tell you why I ran away in the middle of this? Or you rather punch me in the face? Or maybe you want to talk about whatever you need, I promise you can be a sap this time.” Dean tells Sam hoping to get at least a smile out of him.

 

Sam tries to stand and talk, “I won’t talk about the baby, it hurts too much. If I punch you in the face, Cas will probably punch me back.” a tiny smile draws in the corner of his mouth, not enough to be consider amused, but enough to make him go on, “They’re blaming Ruby, Dean. They say that she worked too hard, that she didn’t take care of the baby. She could even go to jail. Yet she still lies in bed, yes, she's eating a bit more every day, and talking to me from time to time, but still I feel I’m losing her, Dean, and I can’t, I just can’t live without her, I can’t even... Please Dean, do something, help me please!” Giant, big MetaAlpha Sam clings to his brother’s neck like he holds all the answers in the world. And they’re five and nine again, and Sammy is afraid of the monsters under the bed.

 

“It’s okay Sammy, I’m here now. First of all you’ll go upstairs, take a shower and change clothes. I left the house over a week ago and you still have on the same t-shirt. Second, you’ll stop freaking out, we need to think this through. Third, you go and hug and kiss your wife. Tell her you and I are going out for a while. We’ll go and pay a visit to Ruby’s uncle Chuck. He should be able to tell us what to do next. Then we'll go for a drive, listen to music and I’ll tell you all the news. Cas will take care of her, he’s missed her really bad” Dean tells him hoping to calm Sam down.

 

“Yeah, Ruby missed him too.” he says and Sam goes to do as Dean had told him.

 

**

 

Chuck sighs deeply, “Well, this is not unexpected. It’s a normal procedure. We’ll need to be sure whether what they’re accusing her of is not true. It’s good that you came to see me, I should have checked on this days ago, but I was in bed with a very bad case of flu.” Chuck explains.

“Then again, I would have never expected this from the Meta office. We’re supposed to be in extremely good standing with the council. This has to be Lucifer´s doing. Damned Novak”

 

At the curse to his mate’s family name, Dean snarls a bit, but noticing Chuck is about to apologize, he dismisses him, “It’s okay, Chuck, Lucifer probably has something to do with all this crap. As for my mate, he’s not gonna be a Novak for very much longer, anyway. As for Ruby, well, you know how hard she worked for days and days, and then the wedding. You’ve taken some of her cases, she’s been delegating cases to take things easier, and she was working from home instead of coming into the office.” Dean is the one speaking, since Sam seems to have lost the ability to form sentences.

 

Chuck addresses Sam when talking to take him out of his state of mind, “Sam, I won’t let her do any jail time. You know I won’t. We just need to build a case to show that she’s never been reckless. I’m not gonna take the case myself because I’m her uncle, but Carver will. He’s not blood related, but I assure you he loves Ruby as much as I do.” Chuck states sounding very sure of this game plan. Sam looks up at him gratefully, “You can relax, son. We’re not going to let them separate you, and maybe, just maybe in the process, we can make the Meta office understand that Metas and Betas do mate, regardless what they think.” Chuck says softly.

 

“Thank you, Chuck. I’m sorry, you know I’m not normally like this, it’s just...” Sam can't even finish.

 

“Sam, anyone going through what you’ve experienced in the past few weeks would be devastated. Most of them don’t make it out of the bed. Now, did you tell Ruby anything about this? Does she know what the Meta office is doing?” Chuck asks, and Sam shakes his head, horrified at the thought of making Ruby go through that, “Good, Sam, that’s better. She’s going to be okay, it'll happen when you least expect her to.” Chuck says, sorrow in his voice for his beloved niece, but a smile on his face for Sam.

 

Dean and Sam leave Chuck’s office and Sam asks Dean to take him back to the house, but Dean has other plans. The day is too bright and Sam’s eyes hurt, so Dean hands Sam his own shades and drives away. They go to the beach and Dean parks the Impala; they get out and sit on the hood of the car. They lean their backs on the windshield, shoulder against shoulder, looking at the sky.

 

“Are you ready now to punch me in the face?” Dean insists.

 

“What?” Sam was distracted by the sound of the waves.

 

“I went to Lawrence, Sam. Jody called. They caught Crowley. I went there expecting to yell at the bastard, tell him everything I’ve thought about him for years and years, but when I finally stood in front of him, I felt nothing. Nothing, Sammy. No hate, no anger, no nothing, just pity for the guy. I think that the fact that Cas was next to me had something to do with my reaction”

 

Dean explains. “Yeah, probably. It’s good that you could close that door. I know I’ve always felt differently about this. I never knew mom and I’ve seen dad destroyed by the hate for this guy. I never wanted my brother to be consumed by revenge too. Losing dad to that was bad enough.” Sam admits. They stay silent for a while, “There’s something else though, right? You look different, you practically reek of happiness, what is it, Dean?” Sam wonders.

 

“Well, I didn’t want to bring it up until later. I asked him, Sam” Dean says with a big smile on his face.

“You asked him what?” Sam is honestly confused.

 

Dean snorts, “Geeze, and You’re the Meta? The superior being with the impressive IQ and crap?” he says barking a laugh and then goes serious and continues, “I went down on my knee and proposed, you dumbo, he said yes, of course” he smiles at the memory.

 

“Jesus, I’m sorry, Dean but don’t be mean to me. This is not my brightest moment, you know? With Ruby and the legal crap and all.” Sam pleads.

 

“I know, Sammy. That’s why I thought this wasn't a good idea. You know, telling you about the engagement now?” Dean says sheepishly.

 

“No, Dean, it’s okay. You’re my brother and the most important person in my life along with Ruby, I want you to be happy. This is big news, man. I’m so happy for you, Dean.” Sam hugs his brother tugging his back. “Castiel is a great guy and he makes you a better person.” Sam says genuinely happy for his big brother.

 

“Yes, he is. He’s awesome and I love him more every day” Dean says sweetly.

 

“I know you do, I’m not blind, or deaf” he makes a face, “It’s just, I’m sorry Dean, sorry for not being in the mood to celebrate or throw you an engagement party.” Sam says, feeling ashamed.

 

“Meh, forget about a party. We’ve already had our own private engagement party and it was awesome.” Dean laughs a little.

 

“Oh man, have mercy, please!” but Sam himself laughs a little too, and the sound makes Dean's heart leap. Sam hugs him again, tighter this time, feeling tears forming, but he has decided he won’t shed them. This should be a happy moment for his big brother, and he’s truly happy for him.

 

“I love you, Dean. I’m so happy for you, ” Sam says honestly.

 

“I love you too, Sammy. Things will get better. We’ll do it. I promise, baby bro.”

 

 

 


	31. Just give me a reason

Just give me a reason  
Just a little bit's enough  
Just a second we're not broken just bent  
And we can learn to love again  
I never stopped  
You're still written in the scars on my heart  
You're not broken just bent  
And we can learn to love again  


 

Fall is always a weird season; the trees slowly undressing in the wind, carpeting the streets with their golden leaves. People’s moods always seem to get darker as the winter comes closer. The gloomy weather is definitely a problem for the depressed people of the world, and Ruby is no exception, especially with the two trials getting closer. The Winchester brothers’ mates are on a countdown. All in all when fall comes around, it’s usually nice to have a distraction from the gloomy mood, except when it's your life that hangs in the balance, there's no fun to be found.

 

With the deposition long over, August 9th finds Castiel attending meetings with Chuck to run through the strategies for the actual trial. It’s tiresome; they review over and over again every single detail of the night that the MetaSteve almost died in Cas’ restaurant. It's been so long since that night, and the more time that passes the harder it is to remember it all without hesitation.

 

Castiel does his best repeating his answers over and over again. Chuck repeatedly asks the same questions, but in different ways, so as to train the Omega in answering properly, no matter what phrasing Lucifer decides to use to confuse his brother.

 

At this point Cas thinks he’s going to go crazy, and eventually he's convinced himself he, won't make it; he’s making too many mistakes, if you’d ask him. 

 

“Castiel, I understand the frustration, but trust me, you’re doing fine. If you were to make no mistakes at all it’d look like it’s been all prepared for you and, definitely make it appear you weren't telling the truth. The best thing that can happen to us is that you sound as normal as possible, mistakes and all” Chuck assures him.

 

“Well, Chuck, that’s good to know, because there’s no way I can sound like myself if I have to remember everything you've told me.”

 

So, according to Chuck, simple little mistakes on the statement are a good thing; Cas is not so sure about that though. Dean tries his best to reassure his mate on the subject, but Castiel is at the e nd of his rope. He's frazzled, anxious, and jittery. His body is tense, full of nervous energy, and his Alpha is having a lot of trouble trying to ease him.

 

In the other office in Shurley & Edlund, Carver is checking to see if he's missed any names on his witness list. He’s been trying to talk to everyone who knows the MetaAlpha mates and putting all of their statements together. Trying to give Ruby time to get better before starting to prepare her for her own trial.

 

Ruby is slowly getting better, yet she still spends most of her days in bed; she doesn’t sleep much though, she just lays there with the TV on, not watching it, but the ceiling above instead. 

 

A week ago she started taking visits again, and now her parents come by every day. She lets them in and listens to them talk about what's new with the family and friends, not really interested in the gossip, but as long as she’s not expected to talk she’s okay with it.

She’s started to care for herself a little more every day too. She’s eating more without Sam having to feed her, she still won’t eat a full plate, but seeing her feed herself is a good sign.

 

The fact that she’s eating to make Sam happy instead of doing it because she is really hungry is irrelevant. At least, that's what she thinks. Ruby knows that if she wants to keep Sam she has to be strong and do her best to get out of this depression, it’s not easy though. So she puts her strong woman mask and, with baby steps, she's able to start to get up and wander around the house. She lingers in the TV room sometimes and watches shows that Sam and Jo like. That’s only sometimes though, but hey- it’s something.

 

Today Andrea came to visit, she joins Ruby in the TV room and they talk about nothing while having a tea. Andrea fills her with details about different movie stars' lives and Ruby starts to loosen up a bit by her friend’s good mood. It doesn't last long though, because after a while Andrea's mood turns serious.

 

“Ruby, look, there’s something that I want to talk to you about. I just need you to let me finish before saying anything, please just hear me out and then we can discuss it, okay?” Andrea lowers her voice, so no one else could hear them. Sam is on the patio with Sally talking to the gardener, trying to decide what to do with the winter landscaping. Sam thinks that if they can make the garden look beautiful again, Ruby will be more willing to go and sit out there.

 

So, Andrea thinks it's now or never, she’s sure that her friend since college won’t let her do this in a million years, but she feels like she has to try. “What I’m about to tell you will probably sound wrong, but please just hear me out. I think the only solution to all of your legal problems is to let Sam go.” She says, trying not to sound harsh, but any way she could say it would still feel like a slap in the face to Ruby. That sentence could have been replaced with an ice cold shower and the result would have been the same, the shock on Ruby’s face is painful, she tries to mumble a response, but Andrea raises her hand to stop her and continues on, “Wait, please wait, and listen. I know you love him, and you think you've mated with him, but he has to mate with an Omega. That’s the only way that you will be free from all charges. He can then fulfill the law requirements, mate and have babies, and you can have fun and be free. I know… don’t look at me like that, Ruby, I know it will be hard for you both, but there’s no other solution. This is the only logical solution. Sam is my friend too, and I love him, but I just want what's best for you both.”

 

Ruby takes a deep breath, trying her best to breathe evenly, she clenches her teeth and in a very controlled voice that surprises them both she coldly says, “I want you out of my house.” Her vision blurred from distress, as she continues, “Listen to me, and listen very carefully, because this is our last conversation, I am never speaking to you again. I will never, and I mean  _never_ , give up on Sam. He is the love of my life and  _NOTHING_ , not even the Meta law will take  _him_ away from  _me_ \- you just let them try. Oh, let them try and see what happens!” She begins to move closer to Andrea, growing in size and with a terrifying look in her eyes. Andrea takes a few steps back, but Ruby just moves right along with her, never letting the other woman out of reach. “Get the fuck out of here. I don’t want you anywhere near us; I don’t want to hear from you ever again. If anyone ever asks me about you, I will deny your existence. Now,  _GET. THE. FUCK. OUT. OF. MY. HOUSE_ !” Ruby finally shouts and points to the door furiously, breathing heavily, with fire in her eyes.

 

Andrea tries to say something, but Ruby shuts her down, she has zero patience and is using what little strength she has to refrain from shouting again. “I said I don't want to hear anything else from you, bitch. Goodbye!” Ruby finally yells, as she turns to leave the room, so Andrea has no other option than to leave the house. As she is getting into her car, Sam sees her and rushes inside to check on Ruby.

 

Sam finds his wife making tea, her face is red and eyes are bloodshot, she doesn’t even lift her gaze from the tea when she tells her husband, “If Andrea calls, texts, emails, comes around or whatever she does, I don’t want to have anything else to do with her ever again, she’s dead to me.”

 

“Baby, what happened? Are you alright?” Sam asks her, hugging her from behind and feeling her shake a little. Ruby leaves the mug on the counter and turns around to hug Sam back; she lets herself relax and starts crying and sobbing. Sam lets her take her time to calm down.

 

Eventually she’s calmer and able to talk. She recounts their argument with Sam, “She said that we need to let each other go so I can be free of all charges. That we need to divorce and go our separate ways. That you need to mate an Omega and have zillions of babies” at that thought she hugs tighter, the very thought of it unbearable, “So I kicked her out. Any friend of mine would know that, that is the only thing that would make me more miserable than I already am. Sam- Sammy, I’d die if I ever lost you. I’d rather be poor and live in a cardboard box, if that meant you’d stay with me.” Her tears becoming more controlled and her breathing evening out.  
Sam soothes her, kissing her passionately, a bit deeper for the first time since everything went to hell. She responds. They don’t go any further, there's no need to right now, just a sweet kiss of reassurance, full of promises and unconditional love.

 

They're going to fight back, and they'll do it together.

 

**

 

Charlie entered the restaurant office and found Castiel going through all the bills and the receipts, figuring out what the weekends final take was. Char smiles fondly at her friend’s frowny face; he can make the funniest faces while going through the books.

 

Cas looks up and grunts, “What?”

“Hey, Cassie, can we talk?” Charlie says clearly in a very good mood.

“Uhm, yeah. The business seems to be better after Sam’s wedding. The small Meta caterings we’ve been booking are doing great for our finances. I think we…”  
“Cassie, shut up for a moment, would ya?” Char stops him, “I’m not here to talk about the business.”

 

Castiel, who had gone back to the books, looks up and his face changes into a neutral expression, but his tone is displeased when he asks her, “What now, Charlie? You’ve already said everything about what you think of my love life, and if you’ve thought of anything else, I just don’t wanna hear it.”

 

Charlie doesn’t flinch as he snaps at her, she knows he has every right to be pissed off, “Trust me, Cassie, you wanna hear this.” She takes a seat in front of Cas and he sighs, making Char smile, “I’m sorry, Cassie, I was wrong. I was jealous and worried about you. I thought I was losing you. I know I hurt you with my words and actions, but after last time I realized I crossed the line and I lost you.” She pauses and chooses her next words carefully, “I know I wasn't fair to you or to Dean, especially Dean. He proved me wrong though, and I wanted to apologize and ask my friend to allow me back in his life.” She manages to finish even with her voice breaking at the end.

 

Castiel looks at her, and where before there was a frown, now there is an expression of relief, he stands up and circles the desk and wraps his friend in a tight hug. “As long as you understand that Dean is part of my life forever, there’s no need to forgive you Char. I always knew that you’d eventually come around.” He tells his wayward friend. 

“I know, Cassie, I know- he’s good to you,” she hugs him back, “Thank you, Cassie, I've missed you so much.” Charlie confesses to him. 

“I’ve missed you too, Char. He proposed, you know?” Cas tells her excitedly. Char breaks the hug to look at him in the eyes, smiling through the tears she’s been shedding for a while now, “He proposed and I said yes. I truly love him, Char. Those three days without him were hell; I never want to go through that ever again.”

“Cassie, that’s great news, my friend! Congratulations! I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me most.” She tells him truly excited for him, but also regretful for her actions.

“That’s in the past, Char. We’re good now and that’s what counts. Especially because I’m gonna need you to make my wedding pie, you know?” Cas says making Char laugh.

 

“Wait, a wedding PIE? That’s something… different? He changed you Cas, in a good way though.” She says laughing. 

 

Cas and Charlie laugh together like old times and it feels right.

 

**

 

“You really think that low of me?” Sam asks accusingly as he corners Andrea in an ER booth. It’s the end of his shift and the beginning of hers.

 

“What Sam, everyone is thinking the exact same- Someone had to say it out loud.” Andrea says like it should be totally obvious to Sam. She looks around and sees nurses coming and going and says to Sam, “Let’s go to my office, there’s no need to be the subjects of tomorrow's hospital gossip.”

 

As Sam closes the door of her office, Andrea turns around and starts talking, “The point is that, none of you are thinking clearly, you're not seeing things straight, you are all too involved.”

 

“The hell-? Of course we are too involved, it’s our freaking lives, for god’s sake” Sam can’t believe her, she can’t be serious.

 

“What I mean is that she’s dragging you into a trial you don’t deserve to go through, you haven’t done anything wrong, and yet this is affecting you.” She explains to him. 

 

Sam won’t say anything else, not yet, if he says one word, he won’t be able to stop himself from shouting, “You don’t see it, Sam; she’s going to drag you to jail too, and I won’t allow that. I’m sorry if I hurt you, sorry if it’s inappropriate, but someone had to say it. You have to see all of your options.” She confesses to Sam. He can't believe what he's hearing, can't believe this is his friend and colleague saying this to him.

 

“Are you done? Have you finished making decisions about my marriage?” Sam asks, irritated, “We chose to stay together; we chose each other a long time ago. If we lose the mansion, the money, and the Meta status, we wouldn't care one bit. We could live penniless in a one bedroom rented apartment, and we’d be happy as long as we’re together. It’s not up to you to tell us what our best choice is. You probably don’t understand this, but she’s the love of my life, my perfect match and my mate, whether you believe it or not.” Sam tells her, just barely able to contain his anger. 

 

“She threw me out of your house, Sam. We’ve known each other for years now, we’re best friends and she just kicked me out!” Her tone beginning to heat up.

 

“What the hell did you expect? She’s not out of her depression, and you go to her with a sensitive matter, that was truly unwise, Andrea. The only good that came out of it was you made her snap. That may be the only reason I'm not as furious with you as she is, but I'm still really mad at you. I really think you did a stupid thing and I don’t appreciate it.” He tells her, as he tries to take hold of his anger. 

 

“I’m sorry for hurting her Sam, but I'm not sorry for what I said. I was evidently wrong in the how, but I still believe it’s your best chance to walk away clean from this mess.” She says honestly. 

 

“’This mess’? You’re talking about the death of my son, Andrea- I really would like this conversation to be over right now, or else I’ll be madder at you than Ruby is.” He remembers her being his best friend though, and all the things that they’ve gone through together. He really does care for her, he knows she meant well, so he tells her, “Look, I’ll need you to back off a little, don’t contact Ruby for a while, and don’t ever talk to me about what my options are. We’ll see if our friendship can heal all this crap.”

 

“Okay, Sammy. I really hope you still think of me as your friend, because I also care for you a lot.” Andrea whispers.

 

Sam walks out of the office and she stays there, feeling stupid, lonely, and with a hole in her heart left by an almost certainly lost friend

 

**

 

Sam leaves the hospital too upset to go straight home; he needs to get the heat of his conversation with Andrea out of his system so he won’t upset Ruby. First thought is to go and pick up Dean for a few drinks, but his brother is making up hours to cover his time off from his trip to Sioux Falls. No, he won’t ask Dean to leave his job to go to a bar with him. His second thought goes to Castiel, he could just go and drag him out of the restaurant and bond a bit. Or just stay there at the bar in The Angel’s Pit, but Cas will probably refuse to charge him for the drinks, and he won’t drink for free when Cas and Charlie need every cent to get the restaurant going again.

 

Benny.

 

Benny is getting everything ready for the night, but is very happy to see Sam out of the house and at his bar, of all places.

 

“Hey, Sam, buddy- great to see you!” Benny comes to the front of the bar and gives Sam a quick hug, “How are you, man?” He asks his friend. 

 

“Getting there, Benny. Can I ask you for a beer? I need to relax a bit.” Sam tells him, hoping to relieve some of the tension that Andrea built up in him. 

 

Benny brings two beers and leans on the counter, Sam sits on the stool in front of him and tells him the whole story about Andrea’s little scene.

 

“That’s what happened. Now Andrea is probably mad at Ruby for kicking her out of our house, and Ruby is mad at her for even suggesting any of that crap. Here I am here, caught up right in the middle of it all.” Sam sighs and takes a drink of his beer. 

 

“Sam, we’ve known each other for years now, right? Fuck, I even introduced you two; you mind if I tell you how I see it?” Benny asks and Sam motions his hand to encourage him to talk, “I know she was out of line, but I don’t think you should be so mad at her. I think she said that as a suggestion, a very stupid suggestion, but I don't think she meant you any harm.”

 

“I know she meant well Benny, but honestly, do you think she addressed the right person, the right way? Ruby is still depressed, what if she had taken it even worse than she had? What if she hurt herself? Telling Ruby to leave me was the worst idea.” Sam tells his friend. 

 

“Probably she used the wrong phrasing, I’m sure she did; because she’s right.” Benny says, and Sam is ready to protest already regretting the decision to go to Benny’s, but Benny stops him. “Wait! No, listen to me. I’m not saying that you and Ruby should split up, that’s just bullshit. She’s got a point though, for you two to stay together, it's gonna take a lot of fighting.” Benny brings two more beers, “For starters, you’ll have to prove that she wasn’t reckless- I know she wasn’t, but you’ll have to prove it anyway. You’ll have to prove your commitment to each other as well. Prove that you care about the law. I think Ruby getting pregnant again would be a good way to make them back off a bit. Only this time she’ll have to be more careful, respect the law, do exactly what they say.” Benny explains.

 

Sam is listening very carefully; Andrea had been aggressive in her opinion, and in her way of expressing it. However, Benny is more careful of his wording, and somehow it makes more sense than their lady friend.

 

“I know pregnant women can keep on working and stuff, but here we’re talking about getting the Meta office off of your backs. So maybe you need to discuss her staying at home during the pregnancy, just to fuck with the council. With the miscarriage and all I think she’ll have to compromise, and do whatever they tell her to do. All in all, what’s a few months at home watching TV? I dunno man, just think about it, okay? It’s just an idea.” Benny suggests.

 

Sam leaves the stool and shakes Benny’s hand over the bar and tells him, “I will, Benny, thanks man” he’s ready to leave, suddenly desperate to be next to Ruby. Benny convinces him otherwise though, so he stays for a while and they talk about small things, distracting Sam's mind from all the crap that is surrounding him lately. When he does go home, he can’t stop thinking about what his friend said. Ruby went to bed early, as usual, so Sam has dinner with Dean and Cas, excusing himself a little after to go to bed with his wife.

 

Sam lies next to Ruby, spooning and wrapping his arms tightly around her, sinking his face into her neck, planting little kisses and making her breath falter. He toys with the idea of a new baby, not because he wants to forget Baby W, he will be forever missed, but God is good and life is precious. They should try again.

 

Maybe that can give Ruby a purpose, something to focus on, and something to bring her back. He falls asleep thinking of Ruby’s smile, the smile he misses so much.

 

**

 

It’s Saturday morning, Ruby’s favorite part of her favorite day of the week; but favorites are no longer important. She wakes up to an empty bed, and without Sammy there to soothe her, her mind goes back to Thursday's events, and she’s still mad at Andrea. 

 

When Doctor Abbot comes to see her for her session, she brings it up. Abbot lets her vent and then he asks her to think about it all for a moment. Is she willing to let Sam lose everything only to stay with her? Will she be able to live with the guilt of knowing her love had given up everything just to stay married to her?”

 

She plays his game for a moment and actually thinks about it, or perhaps she’s just pretending. Ruby moves her gaze from Abbot’s eyes to the window, looking up to the bright blue sky, and steadily says, “Guilty? Why? Because we chose to stay together? I’d fight the world to be with him, our path up here has not been easy because I’m a stupid Beta, I’m not quitting now. Whoever tries to separate us will meet the lioness in me. He’s not gonna lose anything because we’re gonna win this.” She tells him determination in her voice. 

 

“Fair enough. Now Ruby, you say you’ve got each other, that he’s the love of your life, your mate. That’s nice; but what are you gonna do to fix this mess? Stay in bed? Is that really the best you can do? Before turning into a lioness to defend your marriage, I’d strongly advise that you do something to get _yourself_ better. Then you can fight the world to keep your mate.” He tells her, giving her something to think about. On those final thoughts, Abbot leaves the bedroom and Ruby remains seated in the armchair by the window. The sky is cloudless, bright and beautiful, maybe too bright. There’s too much to think about right now. Abbot is right though, she needs to do something, but not now. Maybe tomorrow, or the day after. Right now the bed seems like the safest place of the world.  
  
Ruby stays in bed, but remains awake, she has a lot of things to think about right now, but everything Andrea said is playing on a constant loop in her mind. She knows Abbot is right, she has to do something, but she feels so weak that it’s hard to even think about leaving the bedroom and facing life again.

 

She’s lost in her own thoughts when Cas enters the room without knocking, “Hello Rurru, Sam is downstairs watching TV with Dean, so I thought I'd come and check up on you. Can we have a little talk?” He says to her sweetly, he misses his sister in law so much. 

 

“Cassie, my friend, how are you?” Ruby asks as she sits up on the bed and looks at Cas as if she's actually seeing him for the first time ever. “You look different, somehow, like happier?” She says unsure of herself. 

 

“Read me, Rurru. You can do it. Look inside me and read” Cas encourages her.

 

“I –I just can’t. I haven’t since- . It hurts too much,” she answers in a whisper.

 

“Come on, Rurru, do it for me. Maybe what you read would make you happy too. Please?” Cas sits on the bed in front of her and takes her hand in his as he tries to convince her.

 

Ruby gives him a curious look, not even trying to read him; but he’s thinking so loudly that the reading comes to her effortlessly. Castiel sees the look in her eyes and takes the chance, “Help me plan a small wedding, sister. Please?!” Cas thinks as clearly as he can, and he sees her face glow.

 

“Oh, honey, really? REALLY?” she breaks in a bright little smile and hugs him.

 

“Yes, Rurru, he proposed in Sioux Falls and I said yes, of course. I was thinking of a September wedding. We can have Ben, and the twins, Anna, my friends, this beautiful family of ours, the restaurant people, Lisa and Dean’s friends. Just a small bunch of people, the ones we love most.” He tells her excitedly. 

 

“Oh Cassie, I’m so happy for you, guys. I love you two so much, even more than my own siblings.” She parts the hug and the smile falters, “I can’t though, I’m still weak and on bed rest, I’ll be a burden instead of helping in your wedding planning. According to Doctor Abbot I’m depressed.” She says, telling him any and every excuse that comes to mind. 

 

Cas notices she starts breathing oddly, as if she's about to hyperventilate, “A wedding planning would be a lot of stress and I don’t think Abbot will approve. I’m sorry Cassie.” She starts to panic and can't think of any more excuses. 

 

Cas looks hurt, he feels like she just punched him in the face. He understands her state of mind, but he can’t help but to feel a bit of a betrayal. He had been there for her since day one for her wedding. It's only logical that she’d help him, at least a bit with this, the most important day of his life. He wants to be kind to her, but he feels his anger growing.

 

“ _NO_! I won’t let you. I get that you’re sad, if I was in your place I can’t even imagine how I’d be. I get it, you’re heartbroken and empty, but I won't let you stay like this. You are 26, not dead. I know this sucks, I know this is shitty and we all miss the baby, but NO- I WON’T LET YOU DESTROY YOURSELF! _Bed rest my ass_ , you’re not an invalid, sadness needs anything but bed rest to get healed!” Cas screams, he thinks it is enough of the family trying to protect her from the current events that are threatening her marriage and her freedom. He’s her friend, her brother and won’t stay quiet. In fact, he can’t stop himself from standing up and shouting, “ _STRANGE PEOPLE ARE DECIDING YOUR FUTURE AND YOU ARE HERE, JUST LYING IN A FUCKING BED? NO WAY SISTER, NOT ON MY WATCH_ ” Cas paces around, nervous, angry, snapping at last, “ _YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. YOU’RE ABOUT TO LOSE SAM. YOU MUST DO SOMETHING, RUBY_!”

 

Ruby’s jaw drops, she’s shocked and starts to cry. Castiel has never shouted at her, he’s always been sweet and understanding, she can’t think of a proper reply, but it doesn’t matter because he hasn’t quite finished yet, “DO fucking  _something_ , get pregnant again, they won’t separate you from Sam if you are expecting his baby.  _WAKE UP_ ! Wake up and fight for your man! Get pregnant and follow Meta office instructions verbatim this time, whatever they tell you to do. Stay in bed for the whole pregnancy if necessary. I’ll stay and take care of you while Sam is at work. I rather lose the restaurant than see you lose another baby. So  _WAKE THE FUCK UP_ !”

 

He cracks, he can't help it though. Cas knows he’s being harsh, and way too direct and his heart breaks seeing her cry because of his words. Now he's crying too, because he can’t stand knowing she’s losing it all and still won’t do anything. Ruby stands up, crying more and more, she approaches him and starts punching his chest with her fists. She turns around and knocks off everything on the nightstand onto the floor, does the same with the things on the dresser, and then she goes back to hitting Castiel. All of her anger coming to the surface, crying as she shouts at him, “How can you talk to me like that? _HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME? I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND_ !”

 

Cas takes her by the shoulders, holding her to prevent her falling on her knees, and yells back, “ _I AM_ your friend! That’s why I’m telling you this.” He hugs her, but she doesn’t hug back, “Let it all out, Rurru. Come on, let all the anger out, punch me all you need to” he tells her. 

 

She screams, shaking his arms off of her and does as she’s told.

 

She hits him again and again and again, one punch for every sentence, “You are unbelievable! You yelled at me while I’m a mess! I’m fucking depressed and fucking hurt! You’ve said horrible things to me! I can’t _, I just can’t_ , Cassie, I can’t anymore. My baby’s gone. Sam is gonna be gone. Then my house,  _MY HOME_ , Cassie and then, then you and Dean and then Jo, you’ll all be gone.” She breaks down all the anger gone, her body loose, running out of adrenaline, “I’ll be alone Cassie, and my baby, I never got to meet him, I never got to see his face, never got the chance to talk to him and – and Cassie.” She falls on her knees and Cas goes down with her, hugging her and this time she hugs back, “Cassie  _MY BABY IS GONE_ and I don’t know what to do with myself! I won’t survive this; I will lose all of you. I can’t stand the thought of losing Sam. Cas help me, please help me, brother.” She begs him. 

 

“Sh, Rurru, calm down, sister. I know and I’m so very sorry. I can stay with you here on the floor for as long as you need, but you have to know that the second we stand up you’ll need to get a grip and start taking proper care of yourself. I’ll help you do whatever it takes to get you to be yourself again.” Cas offers her. 

 

She continues crying for a while and he lets her, continuously whispering words of support and after what feels like an hour she runs out of tears and hugs him tighter.

 

“Cas. Cas thank you. I’m sorry I said all those horrible things to you. You’re my friend, my brother. I love you.” She tells him thankful for his support. 

 

“I love you too, Rurru. And don’t worry, I deserved every single word you’ve said.” Cas kisses the top of her head. I know we have a long road ahead before you are finally back to your old self again, but I’ll be here for you the whole way. Now let’s get up off the floor and talk about my wedding. It’s not gonna be that hard, the only thing that matters to me is making Dean happy. The rest is just decoration.” He tells her, trying to get her in a good mood. 

 

“Sure, I’ll help, if you’re patient with me. We’re going to be in law's, and I love you both.” She says with a smile on her face. 

 

She lets him take her to the armchairs by the window where they sit, “Maybe it’s not a bad idea, you know, about getting pregnant and all. I love you Cassie, thank you.” She tells him honestly. 

 

“I love you too, Rurru. I know you’re going to have ups and downs, but promise me, _promise me_ you won’t do any more bed rest, just no more ‘ _it’s my fault’_ , no more ‘ _I can't’_. Just give it a try and when it’s too much for you just tell us and we’ll help you.” He begs her. 

 

“I promise I’ll do my best. Now tell me, brother. Why in hell only about what? Thirty people? And you didn’t mention your dad. I think you should invite him, even though he probably won’t show up anyway. Don’t do it for him, do it for yourself, don’t do things you’ll probably end up regretting. You should invite every person you love even if that means inviting Emmanuel or, Heaven forbids, Lucifer.” She says, beginning to sound like the " _old Ruby_ ". 

 

“I don’t like my brother, Ru.” Cas says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, because honestly it really is. 

 

“I said people you love, not someone you like, liking is different. You may no longer like your brother, but you loved him once, right? Or did you always dislike him?” She asks him honestly.

 

“At this point I can’t be sure. Luci has always been the big brother, the one we’ve all always looked up to. I think I used to love him when I was a kid, but now? I don’t know anymore. Emmanuel I do love, even when he- well, you know.” Cas says sadly. 

 

“So, there, invite him! And every other person you love, money is not a problem, you know that.” she assures him.

 

“I’d like not to count on that, we have to keep in mind the trial.” He regrets the words as soon as he says them.

 

“Cassie, once you told me I did nothing wrong, I realized you’re right. I’m being defended by the best law firm in town and yes, maybe I worked a bit too hard, but it’s not like I lift weights for a living, so sue me… oh, wait!” She deadpans.

  
She laughs a little, not too loud, but it’s a start and Castiel sees pieces of the old Ruby in the smile. That brightens his heart. “Okay then, let’s say fifty or sixty people?” He says, still a little unsure of the number. 

 

“Good! Now, you know what? I’m starving. Will you cook something for me?” She asks him.

 

Cas stands up fast and claps his hands, “It’s almost noon and your wish is my command, ma’am. I’ll manage to cook something BUT!” he takes her hand and pulls her up to her feet, 

“First you lose the pajamas and put on some jeans, woman!” He says with a smile in his voice.

 

Ruby goes to the dresser, takes some clothes and goes to the bathroom to change, five minutes later she comes back in jeans and a T-shirt but with flip flops on. She makes a turn to show her clothes and he laughs a little too hard.

 

“Okay, okay. I concede the shoes for a day or two,” she smiles, takes the hand that Cas is offering to escort her downstairs.

 

Cas and Ruby arrive to the kitchen arm in arm to find the brothers standing right in the middle of the room. Dean with a worried look and Sam’s face betrays his willing to kill someone. Ruby’s tiny smile as she enters the room eases Sam’s expression though. The MetaAlpha returns his mate’s smile and goes to her and they hug, looking at Cas over her shoulder.

 

“Just a little talk between siblings” Cas says and shrugs and Sam mouths a ‘ _Thank you’_ to him.

 

Cas goes straight to the stove and gets down to making lunch. Ruby goes to sit at the table next to Sam and talks to him in low voice, after the effort of shouting earlier, her voice is hoarse, she tells her mate about the plans for Dean and Cas's wedding.

 

In the meantime Dean goes to Cas and hugs him from behind whispering against his neck, “I don’t know what you did. We heard screaming and I had to stop Sam from going upstairs. I told him to trust you, and then we heard her screaming and then silence. I love you, Babe. Thanks.”

Dean tells his mate as he hugs him tighter. 

“I love you too, but why are you thanking me for?” Cas asks him. 

 

“Only because you are perfect and amazing. Thank you for making my life perfect” Cas smiles and blushing at Dean's sweet words, so fucking in love.

 

“Cassie, that smells so good, I’m starving!” Ruby says, making the three men smile at her, so close to the real Ruby.

 

“Burgers will be ready in 10 Ru. Sam, would you make a salad that we all like, please?” Cas asks Sam.

 

“My pleasure, Chef!” Sam salutes and goes to the fridge, followed by Ruby that wants to help. With his mate by his side he starts slicing lettuce and tomatoes, and a tear falls on his cheek. The picture is so perfect that his heart fills up with hope.

 

Ruby sees the tear on Sam’s face, “Something wrong, Hun?” suddenly worried.

 

“Not at all, baby- I’m just so happy, like really happy.” and leaves the knife to wrap her in an embrace, kissing her sweetly.

 

They sit at the table, the two couples in pairs, two groups of the same family. Maybe this family has the bigger amounts of burgers per capita in the country, maybe they are too loud, hell, probably they will never met the Meta and Alpha standards, but they’re a family where love is important and where they have each other’s back no matter what. Just let them try and hurt one of them, they’ll find out what being a Winchester is all about.

 

The men are amazed at Ruby’s appetite, she ate half her plate without any of them having to insist. That makes them beyond happy. Jo joins them by dessert time, she’s so happy to see Ruby all dressed and in the kitchen, and hugs her tight. Then in typical Jo fashion, she starts talking and tells stories about Gabe- clean stories, not kinky ones, but just spiced enough to make Ruby smile again and sometimes, even laugh a little bit.

 

There are hard times waiting for them ahead, nothing is perfect; hell, probably it’ll never be They’ve reached the bottom of the pit though, and there's only one way out; straight up.

 

 


	32. Thinking Out Loud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are so sorry for posting late. Sometimes shit happens and life gets in the way.

 

And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways  
Maybe just the touch of a hand  
Well, me - I fall in love with you every single day

 

* * *

 

When morning breaks, Ruby finally feels she's ready to leave the bed. The last few days have all been baby steps

 

On Thursday afternoon she has brunch in the kitchen with Sam, while she allowed Sally to change the bedding and tidy up the bedroom a bit. In the afternoon she waits for Sam to come home from the hospital, watching the sunset through the bedroom window, while talking with Castiel on the phone.

 

Friday, her mom and sister come to visit. They have tea in the living room while soft classical music plays in the background. Ruby finds it soothing, she likes to think if houses were to be characterized by the classical musicians you play, that the Winchester’s mansion would be Bach, Mozart and Mendelssohn. Whenever her mother’s voice becomes too high-pitched for Ruby to bear, she just focuses on the music, and nods. Ruby honestly doesn't care about what is being said at that moment.

 

On Saturday Ruby surprises Dean at dinner with a pie. Telling him it’s her way of saying sorry for pushing him aside during her breakdown, and not allowing him to enter her bedroom, or even answering him when he’d talk to her.

 

It’s hard for her to snap out of her depression, but she tries her hardest to ease out of it. She wants so badly to please Sam and the rest of the family, so she makes an extra effort every day. She gets up and changes her clothes, nothing fancy, just something other than pajamas

Sunday is a beautiful, sunny day, and does wonders for Ruby’s mood. She’s still a bit tired, but she goes and makes breakfast by herself, amazing the men when they get up. They compliment her on her cooking, and after breakfast they clean up before going to work. That gives Ruby time to rest for a while.

 

Later on as early afternoon sets in, she gets bored and decides to go and sit on the patio. Sally brings her tea and Ruby watches the gardeners work on the new landscape design. She even suggests that they plant evergreens rather than seasonal to make the garden look nicer. She then goes by the swimming pool for a while and lies in the shade of an umbrella, while checking her Facebook on her tablet. When the gardeners go home for the day, she takes off her shoes and walks barefoot in the grass. She finds that the coolness of the grass relaxes her, so much so that she decides that she'll do this often.

 

When she goes back into the house, she brings a single rose from the garden, that she sets in a tiny vase on Sam’s nightstand.

 

She wakes up the next day with a newfound strength, and decides to finally leave the house for a while. She decides to go to the firm and talk to her Uncle Chuck. She gets up, takes a long bath, relaxing in the flower scented water. She opens her closet and looks for something to wear. She goes through the clothes in her closet. If you’d ask Sam he’d say she has a wardrobe to dress a small village, but all she sees is a lot of the same. Lots of business suits, beautiful, classy evening gowns, and some nice dresses. She picks up a lovely dress, white top with short sleeves and a pink based flower pattern skirt, put together with a silk lace around the waist. She won’t wear heels though, she’s still not ready. On her way out she decides to take a light coat too.

 

She calls a cab to drive her to the Shurley & Edlund building. Sam watches the car pulling away, Sunglasses on and a smile on her face, Ruby waves goodbye to her husband and heads off for the office, just like old times.

 

Sam will forever remember Monday, August 13th as the day everything started to return to normal.

 

* * *

Carver is giving his secretary some files to archive when the elevator door opens and Ruby comes out. Carver’s face seems to glow as soon as he sees her. He goes to her with open arms, ready for a hug.

 

“Honey, you’re better! Thank God!” he wraps one arm around her shoulders and the other cupping the back of her head to hold her close to his heart, and sighs in relief.

“Well, I’m getting there, Uncle Carver. I’ve missed you too” Ruby welcomes the warmth in her surrogate Uncle’s arms. She feels like she's five again.

 

“Kiddo, do you feel strong enough for a little briefing?” Carver tests.

 “Sure, if it’s too much I’ll stop you.” She says as they walk to his office arm and arm.

 Carver turns his head to talk to his secretary over his shoulder, “Lyn, bring green tea for my niece and a coffee for me, please” he kindly asks.

 “Glad to see you didn't forget what I like when I can’t have coffee, Uncle” she walks along with him resting her head on his arm.

 They sit on the couch in Carver’s office and chit chat for a while, the old man had not had the strength to visit her during her breakdown, he couldn’t bear the thought of his baby girl so depressed. His heart couldn't take it.

 “So Ruby, how are you feeling?” He finally asks her.

 “I’m getting there, Uncle, one day at a time. Today I got up and felt like it was a good day, so I thought of getting out of the house and seeing you.” She tells him honestly.

 “But, honey, you could have called me, and I would have gone to your house! Still, you leaving the house, it’s a good sign right?” Carver reflects.

 “Well, like I said I wanted to leave the house anyway, but I still have bad days, and good ones too. Today felt like a good day, and I try to enjoy my good days, so I'm getting there. So, What have you got for me?” She says, wanting to get down to business.

 “Yeah, well, we’ve got three options. First one is to plead guilty and pray for no jail time. Second one is to plead innocent and go to trial, where we’ll need to prove your innocence. Or the third option is, we can make a deal” Carver summarizes.

 “What kind of deal are we talking about, Carver?” Ruby asks. She is still a lawyer, so she does know what her uncle has in mind. She needs to hear him say it though.

 “Probably divorcing Sam. I know, Ruby, trust me, I know,” he cuts her attempt to complain, rapidly moving on to avoid upsetting her more, “In the best case scenario he’ll have to take an Omega to impregnate. You know they’d usually force you to divorce him so he can mate a proper Omega and make lots of babies.” He finishes.

 “To hell with the deal. I’d like to see them try to separate us” but she knows better.

 “Ruby calm down, it’s not good for you to get stressed again. I need to know what strategy to follow so I don't have to bother you with it again down the road.” Carver explains, and sees Ruby take a deep breath to calm down so he goes on, “I’m not talking about a permanent separation Ruby. All I’m suggesting is that Sam would need to have sex with an Omega once a month, during their heat until the Omega is pregnant. Then again twice or three times a year until the Omega gets pregnant three times. After that you’re both free to be together forever.” He wraps up.

 “You've gone insane. That’s the only explanation for you to even think of giving me this option. Narrowing our options down to jail time, or force Sam to sleep with another person and have their children. Children that will be taken away by the Meta office and we would never ever see again! That’s fucking crazy! NO! Either I plead guilty or innocent but there is no way in hell I'm taking that deal. NO DEAL! Capisce? And I choose to plead innocent, because that’s what I am. I haven’t done anything wrong and it’s your job to find a way to prove it. You have to make this right, Uncle, I know you can. I trust you with my life; you are the best but NO DEALS! I’ll take jail time if that means I get to stay married to Sam. Even if after prison time we have to live on the streets.” Ruby says, her anger is slowly melting from her outburst.

 “Stubborn as always," Carver chuckles, "I get it, Ruby, no deals. I’ll do my best. You have to understand though, I won’t allow you to accept jail time. You’re still my baby girl. I’ll figure this out.” He says firmly, but lovingly.

* * *

 

Ruby leaves her uncle in his office so he can take care of his next appointment, and goes to her other uncle’s office for a little chat.

 “Hey Uncle Chuck, are you busy?” Ruby asks from the door.

“Never mind that, dear! Come on in!” he goes to the door and wraps his arms tightly around her, kissing her temple, “How are you feeling?” He asks.

 Chuck sits in his chair and Ruby sits on top of his desk, right in front of her uncle, still feeling like she's five years old. “I’m slowly getting there, you know, little by little. I was just telling Carver that I got up this morning and felt like going out, so here I am” Smiling at him as she tells him.

“You know I would have gladly gone to see you, if you’d asked.” He tells her.

 “It’s okay, Chuck, really. The shrink told me to enjoy the good days so it’s alright, really.” She explains.

  
“Well, good for you, dear.” He smiles fondly at her, offering something to drink but she declines.

“I already had a green tea, thanks.” She’s never been known for being shy, she’s as forward as she can be, so it's not a shock to Chuck when she comes right out and tells him what's on her mind. “I assume you know about this absurd idea of Sam and I divorcing or allowing him to fuck someone else to prevent jail time or the trial itself, right?” She expresses.

 “Yes, we discussed it, and I told him you’d say no, but you are a lawyer, Ruby, and you know he has to present every single option for you to choose. He loves you as much as I do and you know he’ll fight tooth and nail for you. He’s already doing it.” Chuck explains to her.

 “I know! I’m not mad at Carver, well, maybe a little bit, but lately I’ve been a little bit mad at everyone, so I don’t know if that counts. The thing is that he knows me better than that.” She says with sadness in her voice.

 “But, honey, it's what we attorneys do. We have to give the represented party all the options. You know, the good, the bad and the ugly.“ He jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

 She smiles at her uncle. He has always known how to make her feel better, ever since she was a child.

“You’re sure you don’t want a coffee or maybe pastries or cookies? Anything you want, just ask, and it's yours.” He tells his favorite niece.

 “Okay, maybe a small mocha, decaf no sugar, and a bite of your cookie.” Just like when she was five and she’d join her uncles for coffee, Chuck would always share his cookie with her.

 “Now tell me about you, what’s going on inside that head of yours, and don’t tell me nothing because I know you. You wouldn’t have come all the way down here if you didn’t have questions, most likely legal questions. You know I can't advise you on your case, but I can have a perfectly legal, private conversation with my baby girl. So out with it, what's on your mind?" He asks.

 Clever old shark. Ruby smiles to herself as she gets off the desk and circles it to go take a seat on the comfortable chair in front of Chuck’s. She looks at him, head tilted sideways and a knowing smirk.

 

“What if I get pregnant again? Would you think it’d help me avoid all this shit? I mean, I know it will help me to get out of my depression, and I think it would help Sammy too, but would it change anything legally? Do you think the Meta Office would be suspicious?” She asks hopefully.

 

Chuck ponders his answer for a moment; he knows his niece is just getting out of a very deep depression, so he wants to choose his words carefully.

 

“Ruby, as your uncle, I’d say it’s a good idea, it’ll give you something exciting to look forward to, and a baby is always a blessing for newlyweds. As a lawyer, though, I have to say it’s fortunate that I’m not your counsel, because you know I’d have to report you. Please tell me you didn't mention this to Carver?” He worries.

 

“Please, Chuck, what do you think I am, a rookie? I may be depressed, but I’m still a lawyer and a damned good one at that, thanks to my uncles of course.” She says defensively, and it’s good to see she’s still has it in her to confront him a bit. It amuses Chuck.

 

“Great! Then, as your uncle, and not your lawyer, I think it could work. I don’t think the trial will even take place if you got pregnant again. Fortunately, there haven’t been any recent changes made to the Meta law about the New Order moving around babies. They won’t split a Meta married couple from their baby if the law is fulfilled.” He explains, and Ruby’s expression relaxes at last, getting the confirmation she needed. “Now, one thing you have to make sure, though, both you and Sam will have to do things properly this time. Comply with every single direction from the Meta Office, no matter how ridiculous or offensive you may find it. Take time off the office, work probono from home. Or, better yet, just lounge around at home and watch TV. Hell, learn to knit for God’s sake, I can always use a new scarf, you know.” Chuck jokes, “It’d be a good solution as long as you play it right.” He tells her seriously.

 

Ruby stays there and talks with her uncle, a while later Carver joins them and they chat animatedly about life and the old days, making Ruby laugh at the memories.

* * *

Castiel and Charlie are doing prep for the _Mise en Place_ for the night. First time in a long while that they work together and enjoy it.

 

Ingredients coming and going, both chefs focused on the task at hand, when suddenly Charlie wonders, “Cassie, will Chuck ever call me about the trial? I should be involved.”

 

“You will, Char, but Chuck managed to put you as a witness since my brother wants to sink me personally plus there's the fact that you did not invest any money in our restaurant. Trust me, it’s better this way. The whole preparation thing is unbearably boring. I’ve been to his office three times a week for a couple of weeks now, and all we do is go through the same things over and over again.” He explains to her.

 

“I understand, Cassie, but I really would like to be more involved in it. Never mind what your brother may say or do, we’re partners, even if I had forgotten about that for a while. For which I’m still very sorry for, and deeply regret.” She admits.

 

“Forget about that already. I’ll tell Chuck that you’ll be coming with me next time. Alright?” He tells her. She's his best friend, he's already forgiven her, even if she hasn't forgiven herself.

“Good. Pass me that, please.” She tells him, then it's back to work. They continue to work for a few more minutes before she asks him, “How are things with Dean? Did he decide already on what kind of pie he wants for the wedding?” She smiles at the thought of Dean and Cas married and slicing a pie instead of an actual cake, “Do you think he’d be okay if, besides the pies, I make a proper wedding cake?” She asks nervously.

 

Cas sees that she's making an effort to try and get along with his mate, and that’s a good sign. Even though her friendliness towards Dean is still a bit forced, she’s really doing her best, and for that he is thankful.

 

“Well, Char, you can make a small wedding cake, I suppose some people would prefer cake to pies. Please don't tell Dean though, he’d have a seizure or something, and things with him are good, better than good really, they're awesome." He tells her, Dean's vocabulary obviously rubbing off on him. "Char, I know that you're still uncomfortable about him and I being mates, so you don’t have to ask about him, it’s okay, really” Cas offers.

 

“No, Cassie, I care about you and he’s part of you now, so…” she shrugs as she lets her sentence trail off.

 

Cas looks at her and they smile at each other, their friendship is strong enough to heal after so much trouble. That’s good. No, actually, that’s freaking awesome.

 

“We haven’t quite finished the wedding plan yet, but we’ll have to do it soon because the wedding is like, _Jesus, Char, it’s like NOW_!” Cas points out while nervously chewing a celery stick.

 

* * *

 

Tuesday finds Jo folding napkins on a back table in The Angel’s Pit worrying about Gabriel. Well, to be honest, she’s actually worrying about what she’s beginning to feel for him.

 

Gabe turned out to be a persistent little guy who has somehow found a way to break down her carefully constructed walls, with mind blowing sex, sweet talk, and the most amazing desserts to enjoy afterwards. He likes a lot of the same things she likes. More importantly, they can talk about almost anything as well. Gabriel makes her happy, he's hilarious, he always has her cracking up.

 

He’s perfect, well _almost_ perfect.

 He is an Alpha after all.

 

Being an Alpha means that there’s always the chance that his true mate could just ‘pop up’ at any time. Even if he or she were on the other side of the country, sooner or later, they are destined to meet, and that could be anytime. What if, one day, he’s walking down the street and someone, looks at him, and he can’t help but to want that person. She knows mating is your body's biological response to the soul's quest for a mate. Once you find your mate, it's something no one can resist, it’s just meant to be.

 

It could happen today, tomorrow or never at all. What if it does happen to Gabe though? She would lose everything. She’d end up alone and longing for him forever and he wouldn't even care about her anymore. He wouldn't even remember her.

 

Even knowing all that she still wants to be with him. After all, the heart wants what the heart wants, and she won’t fight it. She's developing feelings for the trickster and Jo doesn’t know what to do with them. There’s one thing she’s certain of though, she’s never going to tell him about them.

 

G: «Baby, are you coming tonight?»

 Now, that's what Jo calls timing.

 J: «I hope several times.»

 G: «Toast to that. What time?»

 J: «Who says I’ll come with you?»

 G: «Oh, you wanna play THAT game?»

 J: «9PM»

 G: «Cold dinner. I wanna eat it out of you.»

 J: «Mmm dunno…how?»

 G: «No, no preview this time. Just come and I’ll make you.»

 Oh, so he wants to play too…

 J: «You wanna make me what?»

  
G: «Nuh uh, no sneak preview. You and the same underwear you wore the first time you were here, maybe silk stockings too.»

 J: «Always so freak. Me and my stockings will be there.»

 

Gabriel knows he’s screwed. The little, blond temptress makes him want more than just the awesome, kinky sex. At first it was amazing, and he couldn’t wait for the moment Jo would show up with her kinks and blow his mind away. Now, though, it was much more than that, she has managed to get under his skin. She has him thinking about giving her a drawer in his dresser, and a key to his place.

 

Mating had never crossed his mind, not even once; it doesn’t fit the family imagery. The Novak siblings were raised by the help, and none of them have ever been bound by the New Order rules.

 

Having all the money to force the status, the Meta Office has never bothered them. Once Lucifer and Emmanuel were old enough to take the family under their legal care, they managed to set them free from all their Meta duties. Money, that’s the key to everything.

 

It’s a good thing Gabe’s alone in the apartment, because he just slapped himself. “You don’t do girlfriends, Novak! You’re a party boy. Get in, have fun, get out.” He tells himself.

 

But Jo is constantly on his mind. She’s everything he admires in a woman. She wants more in life than just school and work, she’s not clingy, and she gives and takes. She’s confident, crazy, and she’s not the jealous type. He feels like she doesn’t suffocate him, she wouldn't even care about his ‘ _lady friends’_. She takes what she wants and she doesn’t care about the consequences. She even has the same kinks as he does, and never thinks twice about having crazy, kinky sex with him.

 

She trusts him and he trusts her.

 

Gabriel has never felt the need to be faithful, he never had to, and he never cared enough for someone before, not like this. All that has changed now, not that he consciously made that decision. He just doesn't ever feel the need to look at anyone else; everything he has ever wanted or needed is already in his bed. It's Jo teasing him in a tiny dress and no panties or biting her finger and moving her lovely ass to make him follow her to the bed. It's Jo seducing him, wrapping herself up as a gift for him to unwrap, silk bow and all.

 

Drawers and Keys. The thought in itself is terrifying for an ‘eternal bachelor’ like Gabe. He knows this is what he wants though, so he opens up his drawers and makes room for her panties and some of her other clothes. He looks at his keys and plans to give her a copy so she can crash here whenever she feels like it. He wants her to make herself home.

 

That’s all he’s ready for. He’s not ready to label whatever this is that they have, but he wants her to know that, for right now, there’s no one else but her.

 

He’s definitely screwed.

 

* * *

 

“Love, are you busy?” Cas joins Dean in the living room where the Alpha is checking his emails.

“Not really, I was just checking if Ben had sent the BBQ pictures he promised. Lisa said he was stuck to a girl the whole time, and I wanted to see what she looks like. My boy is growing up so fast, Babe. He’s gonna present soon and it'll be hard for him. He's changing, not only is he presenting as a Meta, but he's also going through puberty. I think I’ll have to have ‘the talk’ sooner than I had expected. I'm definitely not ready for that. Nope, still nothing. I’ll call him later.”

 

He says as he turns his head to kiss Castiel’s cheek. His man had put himself right behind him to watch the computer screen, always amused that Dean still won’t use his phone for emails.

 

“Stop stalking your son, Dean. He’s a good boy, and he’s at that age where he wants to start dating. Geez, if you're acting like this with your son, God help your future daughter, if we ever have one” Cas says then kisses Dean’s grinning face. “Now, since you’re not really busy, because Ben’s being a pre-teen and ignoring his Dad, we need to talk about the wedding. I want a September wedding. I'm not sure about the date yet, but I love the weather that time of year. What do you think?” Cas asks, then sits on his lap and waits for Dean’s answer

 

“Whatever you want works for me, Babe. All I want is meat and pie and my family here. The rest of it is in your hands, well yours and Ruby’s.” Dean says and tries to kiss Cas again, aiming for his lips but Cas pulls away.

 

“Oh no Mister Alpha. We are planning this together. I need your list, I need to know who you want to invite. Ruby says money shouldn’t be a problem. She wants to treat us for being so good to them for the past few weeks, and since it’s the Meta Office's money I say we accept it.” He tells his mate, and the look on his face tells Dean he's serious.

 

“Sounds good, Babe, but I don’t want a big wedding though.” He tells him. Hell, he'd be happy just driving to Vegas and getting hitched. He can't say no to Cas though, also Ellen would tear him a new one if he got married and she wasn't there. So if his mate wants a wedding, he'll get one. Just not a big huge one that looks like it's straight out of a "chick-flick".

 

“Me neither, don’t worry about that. Ruby told me not to hesitate to invite anyone because of the money. I’m even thinking of inviting my Dad and Emmanuel. I don’t want Luci anywhere around us, but I think it would be nice if Dad and Manny would show up. I would really like for you to do the same, and invite everyone you love.” Cas tells him sincerely.

 

“Yeah, but, Babe, are you sure about that? If you are, then I’m with you all the way. Anything that makes you happy.” Dean tells him honestly.

 

“Yes, he's my dad and I love him. I think I’ll regret it one day if I don’t invite him. So, yes, I’m sure.” He says as he leans in to kiss Dean, sweet and tender, making Dean want to take him upstairs.

 

“Pie! I want pie and burgers and…” Dean sighs and Cas frowns.

 

“What Love? Anything you want, just ask” Cas tells him, his voice laced with concern.

 

Dean clears his throat and smirks to try and pretend it's nothing, then tells him, “I want to walk down the aisle with you. Arm in arm, neither one of us is more important than the other. I don’t want anyone to deliver you. We’re in this together from the beginning to the very end.”

 

Cas peers into Dean’s eyes, he can even see his soul in those green orbs, so honest and full of unconditional love. He hears and feels what Dean is really saying, ‘I don’t want my mom standing there next to me if yours is not.’ Cas’ vision blurs, his heart so full of love for this man that he thinks he’s about to faint.

 

“Thank you, Love, thank you, I love you so much.” Castiel says, then he kisses Dean softly on the lips. He wraps his arms around Dean’s neck, hiding his face, closing his eyes to thank the Lord for such a great Alpha, his partner, his love. He whispers, “We’ll walk down the aisle together.”

 

* * *

 

It’s Wednesday August 15th, and dinner time finds Gabriel and Jo in his kitchen, having an after sex dinner.

 

Gabe has an agenda, he’s been trying to hide it in his clothes, but all he’s wearing is his boxers. A key is hard to camouflage. Suddenly he comes up with an idea, “I feel like a frozen margarita. You want one?” Gabe asks.

 

“Mhm a fruity one, maybe.” She accepts.

 

Gabriel makes two frozen strawberry margaritas, hiding the key in hers. “Enjoy pumpkin.” He lifts his drink to his lips, but holds it there without drinking it. His gaze is fixed on her, waiting, expecting her reaction; he waits for what seems like forever. She sips on her margarita, and finally sees it, she looks at Gabe and then back at the key.

 

“This is the first time in my life that one single person is responsible for all my orgasms, and in fact, it is the first time I’m happy about it. I’d like you to take this key. Use it whenever you need a place to hide or if, heaven forbids, you feel like seeing me, well, you can come and go as you please. I also made room for your toothbrush, and I cleared a drawer for my presents, for your boyshorts and maybe your bow.

 

She hasn't spoken a single word since she found it; she’s looking at Gabe open mouthed, penthouse key hanging from her hand on the thin key chain. Gabriel finds her expression funny, but he’s not gonna ruin the moment by making fun of her.

 

“I’m- I’m not ready for more and I can’t promise I’ll be there soon, but I do promise faithfulness and that’s another first for me. I’ve never promised anything of that kind but you, you little witch of mine, you charmed me and here I am. The lonely wolf, the player, asking you not to fool around.” He takes a moment to check her reaction, “I know you’re surprised pumpkin, but please close your mouth.” He says smiling fondly.

 

Jo can’t take her eyes off of him, she feels the key, wet and cold against the warmth of her hand, and smiles back at him and says, “Well, Novak, I don’t know, your reputation precedes you. What if you feel like starting another gay phase?” She’s so nervous she can’t help teasing.

 

“Oh my, you’re so funny.” He laughs really loud because she’s really funny, but mostly because he’s seriously nervous. “If I ever feel the need to share my bed with someone else you’ll be the first to know, and if that someone else happens to be a guy, well, we can always share, right, baby?” He jokes, hoping she finds the humor in it.

 

“Smart boy, Gabe, it’s okay as long as we share, I guess.” She shrugs, tilting her head and blinking really slowly, and Gabriel could take her right there in the middle of the kitchen. “I can accept all that you’re offering and, hell, I can even offer that too. I’m not ready for much more myself. I’m a Beta in my early twenties. I don’t have limitations and yes, Gabe, I kinda like you, I like being around you too. So thanks, player.” She says looking at the key again, “Thanks MY player, for the keys.” She says teasingly, and leans in to kiss his smiling lips. “I’m still hungry though, I’d like my cherry now.” She says seductively.

 

* * *

 

It’s been almost a month after the miscarriage. Ruby and Sam are in bed, arms around each other, talking about their plans and what’s going on in their heads these days.

“I want to try again, Hun.” Ruby says shyly, and then continues, “I want a baby. A planned pregnancy this time. Partly because maybe that would make them back off of us and drop the trial, but most of all because I want another baby for us. If the Meta office decides to leave us alone, well then, that's a plus.”

“Well, I was thinking exactly the same thing. I want a baby too. I miss him so much” Sam’s voice falters.

 

“I know another baby won’t replace him. I’ll never stop loving baby W. I have enough love for both of them.” She admits softly.

“Rubs, we need to do this correctly this time, no errors, no mistakes, everything by the book. I know, my love, I know we didn’t do anything wrong last time, but we need to make this right for our marriage's sake. Now come here.” He pulls her closer and wraps his long arms tightly around her back and tells her, “Kiss me and let’s go to sleep, it’s late.”

 

Neither of them will try to have sex tonight. They want this new baby to be made out of love, just like their first, not out of a clever plan. So she lies next to him, inside the warmth of his embrace, kissing him, caressing his face until they are both asleep.

 

There’s time to make love, but not tonight.

 

 


	33. If You Stay

_With you I just want to constantly be with you_

_It`s only when you`re around_

_All the problems are not problems_

_All the clouds inside my garden go away_  

 

* * *

 

 

Human beings are incredible. No matter how stressful the situation is; how impossibly deep is the hole you feel you're in as you try so desperately to climb out of, the pain eventually dulls, and for the most part, goes away. You slowly put the sadness and the pain in a box and hide it inside your aching heart. Baby W will always be part of them, no matter how many children they may have; there’ll always be a place in their hearts for him, and a little hole to lock the pain away.

  
Time heals all wounds, and life eventually goes on. In time Ruby starts looking for Sam’s soft, warm touches, finally forgiving herself and, for reasons unknown, forgiving him as well. It’s odd, the need to forgive the other for something they didn’t have any responsibility in.

  
As days go by, slight touches turn into more, there’s more to their hands and mouths than just comfort, wanting begins to rise and Ruby finds herself watching with hungry eyes at Sam getting ready for bed.

  
One night they finally find it natural to make love. Sex is no longer demanding, there’s no rush, no kinks, no burning pit in their guts trying to explode at the first touch. Sex is now slow, soft, it’s just the need to give and take to and from each other what they can. There’s a mix of tenderness and need for each other, just as if to confirm that they’re still there, that the love hasn’t vanished with their son. They need the confirmation that they are not alone and that they’ll never be. Sam lets her choose, lets her start and finish whatever she needs and wants, as if he's afraid she’d break. Slowly, touch by touch, and kiss by kiss, Sam is getting his wife back.

 

* * *

 

  
A handful of injunctions are introduced by Lucifer on August 24th. The first thing he makes sure of, is the creating the legal bounding of Castiel’s trust-fund against Dean, in case they get married or have children, and something happens to Cas. That way their offspring won’t have access to their father’s trust-fund until they turn eighteen.

  
Second injunction is to bind any future profit from the restaurant, in case Castiel dies or they get divorced. It won’t matter if Cas bequeaths Dean the place in his will, Lucifer wants to make sure he won’t get anything.

  
Third, stating that, since the restaurant was paid with family money, it should be returned to the Novak family and not given to Dean or his descendants, in the result of Castiel's death.

  
Fourth injunction is against Dean. After finding out that Castiel’s fiancé is 29 and not far from his 30th birthday, and consequently almost on the Alpha due date, Luci is convinced the big bad wolf Alpha was deceiving his little stupid Omega brother. This one bonds any marriage license they would try to obtain. If Dean wants to fool an Omega into marrying him to get the Alpha police off of his back he would have to look for another idiot that believes in all that mating crap. To Lucifer, Dean is smart enough to trick Castiel into believing the fairytale of mating, after he was sure he’s got enough money to live without working for the rest of his life.

  
Charlie got her own share of demands, hers claiming she is nothing more than an employee at the restaurant. Being a partner means she should have contributed with money to the project and she did not. Therefore, Lucifer won’t let her have any say in anything to do with the business.

  
There’s one thing Lucifer can do nothing about, and that’s Dean’s and Cas’ children. Law works different for the two Winchester couples. While an MetaAlpha being married to a Beta is the only way to keep any children they may have; Dean and Cas, simply being mated, get to keep their babies, no matter what may happen. Married or not, both parent alive or one of them gone, not that either of them dare to even think of that, the children would stay put. Yes it’s terribly unfair, but people do change their minds about partners and marriage, but mating is beyond any conscious decision. Mating is for life, in this world and beyond.

 

* * *

 

  
Castiel is served with the legal papers at the mansion, as well as the firm, and the restaurant, so he decides to talk to Charlie right away. He’s been postponing it due to embarrassment, the redheaded has been caught in the middle of the Novak family disgraceful fight, and she could lose it all just because of their friendship.

  
When Cas arrives to the Angel’s Pit, Charlie is signing a delivery slip and animatedly chatting with Meg. Castiel smiles at this because he knows the girls have had a couple of rough months in their relationship. Between the lawsuit and the obsession to end Cas’ and Dean’s relationship, it made Charlie’s usual bright personality, dark and moody almost 24/7. Of course Cas is no fool, and he knows that on top of all that, she had to double her hours at the restaurant since Cas kept taking more and more time off to handle personal issues. Even when Charlie was still mad as hell with him, back when she thought Dean was the devil, she still took care of the restaurant.

  
“Hello, Meg. Char may I have a word with you in private, please?” Cas smiles at Meg and takes Charlie by the shoulder guiding her to their little office. “Look, Char, I need to apologize.” He starts to explain.

  
“What for, Cassie? You’re scaring me” Charlie looks puzzled at him while closing the door.

  
“It’s just that you’ve gotten stuck in the middle of some nasty crossfire between me and my brothers. This is not going quite well, and they’re trying to make me ‘come to my senses’, as Lucifer told me the last time we met. He thinks that I’m the family’s black sheep, and should be brought back, and led down the right path. Incredibly enough, he only believes in the Meta/Omega dynamics when it comes handy to try and control me.” He explains, truly sorry that his best friend is caught in the middle of his family drama.

  
“Cassie, stop. Stop worrying about things that are out of your control. You can’t blame yourself for your brother’s actions. Still, it’s a problem we have to deal with.” She tells him as she goes behind the desk and takes an envelope from one of the drawers. “I received this today. I was reading it, and thinking of what we should do, and this is the only possible solution I could come up with.” She said pleading with sorrow and defeat in her voice and eyes.

  
Cas listens closely, patiently waiting for her to finish. He’s has faith in her, and knows she wouldn’t get intimidated by what’s going on, and leave him to deal with the lawsuit by himself.

  
“We need to sell, Cassie. I also think we should cancel all the upcoming weekend reservations.” She finally tells him. Cas freezes but stays put, a strange feeling of fear mixed with relief. “We have only two parties of 3 each tonight, and after that I think we should close until the new owner takes over. We can give the guys paid vacations with the savings we have and pray for the best.” She tells him hoping that he agrees, and won’t be upset with her.

  
Castiel continues to look at her in astonishment, “I don’t want to do that, Charlie.” His head hanging, colors climbing to his face and vision blurring, just ready to freak out. If his partner is giving up, there’s not much left to fight for at the Angel’s Pit.

  
“Me neither Cassie, but I don’t see any other option. If we sell we can pay off all of our debts, or at least most of them anyway. We’ll end up with nothing, but we can always find jobs. Maybe the new owners will even hire us. At least we won’t lose the restaurant to Lucifer. Just promise you’ll think about it, friend.” She tells him sincerity laced in her voice.

 

* * *

 

  
It’s been a stressful week for the Winchesters, the mates both working overtime every day, and their marriage slowly healing and rebuilding itself. Ruby’s started to do more things at home every day and Sam’s schedule at the hospital is almost regular. So Saturday evening they decide to go to Cas’ restaurant.

  
“Why aren’t you ready, Cas? We’re going to lose our reservation.” Ruby jokes when Cas comes down the stairs in a T-shirt. Dean is just coming in from the garage.

  
“Oh, uhm. Yeah, I forgot to tell you, guys. We’ve cancelled all the reservations for the day. You didn’t receive a phone call because, well, I was supposed to tell you in person. Charlie and I decided that the money wasn’t worth the effort, and have decided to sell it. So we’re closed until we find a buyer. Don’t worry though; I’ll cook something special, alright?” He tells them sadly as he heads towards the kitchen.

  
Dean’s eyes widen in surprise, and half serious, half joking he asks, “Where are going to eat out now?” Making Ruby laugh hard.

  
Sam on the other hand, wasn’t laughing at all. He followed Castiel in to the kitchen almost knocking his brother down in the process. He enters the kitchen first and Dean has to stop the door from hitting him in the face, but does not enter.

  
“What the hell, Cas?” Sam sounds pissed. Dean has to refrain his instinct to protect his mate and stays out of the kitchen, listening through the closed door. Inside Castiel closes the fridge and turns around to face him, “You are NOT selling your restaurant!” Sam’s tone final, “I won’t let you, and if you do sell, I’m buying it, and giving it to you as a wedding present.” At this point Ruby is next to Dean, listening as well and punches him on the arm as a sort of high five at her husband’s words, “No, Cas, I don’t care what you say, you won’t lose what you’ve worked so hard for.” Sam’s voice now pleading with him.

  
“I’m sorry, Sam, but I can’t let you do that.” Cas is calm but resolute, “You’ve already done enough for our business and, and I won’t take anything else from you.”

  
“Well, that’s too damn bad. We won’t let you lose everything you’ve worked so hard for. You won’t stop me from doing this, but, what you can do is stop fooling around and once and for all move in here. Stop wasting money on keeping an apartment you no longer use. Seriously, how often have you even gone to your apartment lately? Four, five times in the last two months? You even do your laundry here now. The way I see it, your apartment is just a very expensive closet.” Sam finishes frustratedly.

  
Cas is listening to Sam, without even trying to argue, the facts he’s pointing out are finally sinking in. Sam’s voice is calmer now, allowing Dean to relax, and Dean finds himself being pushed inside by Ruby, who’s not even trying to conceal the fact that they were listening. She talks as she enters. 

  
“You could rent it and use the money to pay bills. Think about it, talk it over with Dean.” She says, taking Dean in grabbed by the shirt fabric. “Sammy’s right, you’ve been living here for way too long now. Make it official, already.”

  
Dean goes straight to hug Cas and whispers in his ear, “The guys are right, Cas. Let’s talk about the logistic of you moving in after dinner, okay?” Cas nods and lets Dean kiss him.  
“Oh, and you’re not cooking, tonight is a night to relax.” Ruby says and claps her hands to call their attention. “I say let’s go to Spago.” She feels like dressing up for the first time in weeks.  
They all do feel like enjoying themselves, so Sam decides, “Okay, let’s call Jo and make this an engagement party. Everything’s on me, you just dress nicely and let’s go!”

  
Ruby texts Jo to invite her.

  
J: «I’m at a b-d party, Ruby. Send kisses to the happy couple. I’ll give them a present tomorrow»

  
She’s with Gabe at his friend Aaron birthday party. Aaron is a beautiful male model Gabriel dated for like five minutes, about ten years ago. They had a good time, but Aaron realized quickly that Gabriel didn't want a male partner for more than a couple of days, and he was looking for something more permanent. They did truly like each other, so they remained best friends.

  
Jo spends most of the party dancing and chatting with Aaron and Gabriel, and she likes the guy, despite the fact that this almost seven foot Alpha was her "whatever-Gabe-is"s fuckbuddy for a while.

  
Jo and Gabe were dancing when Aaron joined them on the dance floor with Lars, a six foot tall blond Beta with the most beautiful grey eyes, and a body that made Jo all tingly in the right places.

  
They exchanged dancing partners, and Jo goes crazy trying to make Gabe jealous. She touches Lars, and dances with him making sure their chests are flush together, and they're dancing cheek to cheek. Gabe had been teasing her all night, touching her under the hem of her dress, but making sure he would not reach anywhere near she would want him to; not a nipple, not even the softness of her breasts. So she rubs herself against Lars, who seems to be enjoying it a lot, or perhaps he's just carrying a flashlight in his pocket; the girth seems about right.

  
Gabe notices and smiles to himself as she startles when he hugs her from behind, his breath on her ear when he whispers, “You like him, Pumpkin?”

  
Jo turns around, her tongue moistening her lips. “What you think? He’s gorgeous and firm, but too tall for me anyway.” She says with a shrug.

  
“So you _do_ like him. Would you like him more if I told you he just asked me if I’m willing to share you?” Gabe asked as his heart skipped a beat, and Jo’s just seemed to have stopped altogether.

  
They both forgot they’re supposed to be dancing, and just stand there in the middle of the dance floor. She swallows hard and snaps back, “Are you?”

  
Gabe shrugs, “How can I share what I don’t own?” She smiles at this, liking what she hears.

  
“So you’re saying that you want to have a threesome, with a guy?” Jo sounds fairly surprised.

  
“Well, Pumpkin, I wasn't kidding last week when I said that if there was something I would like to do, I’d just ask. So, I’m asking now, do you want to?” Gabe asks unsurely, taking her hands and holding them tightly.

  
Jo is totally shocked, but is able to hide it with a neutral expression. She looks at Lars over her shoulder then back at Gabe, “Well, hell yeah, but I have rules.”She says eyebrow crooking.

  
“Shoot!” Gabe encourages her.

  
“First, condoms. Whoever is putting anything inside anyone is using a condom. We can even use flavored ones for blowjobs. Second, I'm riding this rodeo, so if I command something, you both comply. Third, I’d like to share you… if you know what I mean?” She wiggles her eyebrows, a move she most definitely picked up from Gabe. 

  
Gabe falls into his ‘oh shit’ mode and tells her, “Baby, that’s out of the question…”

  
But Jo's not listening and just continues on, “Fourth and last, we do this at your place. I want to be as comfortable as I can. I’ve never done this before. I wanna feel safe.” She finally finishes.

  
“Oh, baby, there’s always a first time for everybody.” Gabe tells her then winks.

  
They keep on dancing and Gabriel takes Lars aside to confirm their decision. The tall blond man approaches Jo, and they move sensually to the music. Gabe joins them at Jo’s back while Lars stays in front of her. Hands are everywhere, warm breaths in her ears, whispering words of praise and promises of new amazing sensations.

  
They leave the club a half an hour later in separate cars back to Gabe’s apartment.  
Once there, Gabe sets the rules, “Condoms are non-negotiable. She sets the pace, and decides what’s to be done. I decide my limits, as much as she decides hers. We are a couple, but we make up our own minds.”

  
Lars and Jo sit on the couch while Gabe opens a bottle of wine, and brings three glasses, joining them and sitting in the middle. Jo in her tiny outfit, a short backless dress, so short it leaves her legs exposed, almost to her hip bones. Gabe starts to fondle her thigh while she engages Lars in easy, distracted small talk. Easy enough to let Jo enjoy Gabe’s touch without losing concentration in Lars’ words, words that falter at the sight of Gabe’s actions.

  
Lars reaches down to Gabe’s thigh, Jo watches with growing arousal how Lars leans in, takes Gabe’s chin to make him turn his head and kisses him deeply. She can’t believe this is actually happening; any reservation about it just goes creeping away under the couch, a moan escaping her mouth. She’s frozen for a second but as soon as she snaps out of the surprise she meets Gabe’s neck with her lips, kissing him and sucking a mark at the same time she unbuttons his shirt.

  
Lars strokes Jo’s hair, his lips still on Gabe’s, as soon as the Alpha’s shirt is off she strokes his arms, moving her lips to his back making a little path of wet kisses. Lars breaks the kiss to remove his T-shirt, tossing it on the floor and resumes kissing Gabe, rougher and deeper. Jo kisses Gabe’s back from his shoulder blade to his ears, her hand fondling Lars’ neck.

  
She straddles Gabe’s lap and replaces Lars’ lips on Gabe’s with hers, he grabs her ass, squeezing and pulling her closer, while Lars starts kissing her shoulder and naked back. He plays with the hem of her dress, taking it with his teeth and pulling it off a bit.

  
Her shoulder is finally exposed, Lars bites her skin from one shoulder to the other, removing the fabric there too, the top of her dress falling to her waist. Gabe moans at her nipples touching his chest. He cups Jo’s breasts and licks her hard buds in turn, biting, softly sucking. She moans and tilts her head back to kiss Lars, she licks inside his mouth, tasting him, fighting his tongue for dominance, and winning. Jo whimpers at the double touch, Lars inside her mouth, hands on her hips and Gabe’s mouth on her breast, his hands on her hips.

  
This is as far as she’s allowing this to go… on the couch.

  
The times she's had sex with Gabe on the couch had been a mess, add Lars to the equation and it’s recipe for disaster. So she stands up, losing the dress in the process. They guys remain seated for a few seconds, her rear in a lavender thong with violet bows, sheer and barely there, at their eye level is totally and understandably distracting. She turns and extends her hands for them both to grab and follow her to the bedroom.

  
Lars doesn’t know it yet, but this is her show. She’s the one in control. She’s gonna make it unforgettable.

  
So she takes the lead into the bedroom with the guys following her closely behind, at a fair distance to have a better view of her ass, eyes big and jaws dropping. As she did to Gabe so many times before, Jo stops at the door frame, and with just a twist of her head over her shoulder, she fakes a pout at them and asks, “Are you gonna keep staring at my ass, or are you’re gonna actually fuck me?” Then with a crook of a smile she turns, and continues her catwalk into the bedroom.

  
The two men rush after her to find Jo standing by the bed. Jo has to hide a laugh seeing them struggle to keep it together and play the "I-am-not-as-horny-as-a-teenager" part a while longer, but just not quite convincingly. Jo stares at them, lets out a long sigh and folds her arms against her chest. She takes a moment to take a good look at the men, her eyes sizing them up from head to toe. She licks her lips, and the men gasp.

  
“Take your clothes off. Everything but the boxers if, you’re wearing any.” She tells them her voice commanding.

  
Lars and Gabriel comply, they stand there, almost naked in front of this petite blond ‘ringmaster’, feeling silly and aroused. It’s funny to see two strong confident men waiting for her to speak, “Mhm, so many options… so many things I wanna do… but how am I gonna do them… let’s see…” She say with a cocky grin.

  
Gabriel is used to this, he loves her teasing but Lars is clueless of this game of theirs, and begins to get impatient. So he tries to reach for her and touch her breast.

  
Jo, to Gabe’s amusement and to Lars’ confusion, slaps his hand off of her and tsks, “Oh no, so anxious. You need to learn to be patient. I’ll teach you. Go and sit there.” She says pointing at a chair against the wall at the corner of the room. Lars looks even more confused now, and gives Gabe a questioningly look.

  
Gabriel shrugs, “Her rodeo, her rules, buddy”, Jo could kiss him right there, “She’s in charge”.

  
Lars looks back at Jo and her body, her hot beautiful body and it  convinces him to go and do as he’s told. When Gabriel turns to face Jo again, he finds her lips crashing on his, but when he tries to grab her waist she slips through his hands and turns to face Lars. Running her hands all over her own body while locking her eyes on his. Lars breath dies in his lungs as he grabs his shaft and squeezes.

  
“NO!” She orders, “If you wanna be rewarded you have to learn patience”, Lars is a fast learner so he releases his cock and watches her sit on the edge of the bed. She smiles at Gabe and crooks her finger towards him.

  
Gabe takes the cue, goes and places himself in the space in between her open legs, and starts kissing her neck. His hands are all over her, pushing, pulling, and taking the chance to lick where he can reach. She moans and opens her legs a little wider.

  
“So, Lars, are you enjoying the view?” Jo’s voice almost a whisper as she’s horny as hell, and getting hornier with the help of Gabe’s hands and mouth.

  
Lars clears his throat knowing he’s been holding his breath, he nods and says as loud as he can with his beautiful accent, “I’d like to participate, though.”

  
“Yeah, you see, I like being watched.” She worries her lower lip at the sensation of Gabe’s lips on her neck.

  
Gabe smiles against her skin, she’s a Pandora’s box, there isn’t a single day when she won’t surprise him, both in bed and in life… shit, he’s so fucked. He’s in the middle of a threesome and all he can think of is how perfect she is? Yeah, he’s screwed big time.

  
“Fuck, Gabe!” Jo curses with a load moan when Gabe pushes a finger through the fabric into her, “Don’t rush it, baby.” She moans softer this time. 

  
“Uhm, sorry.” He says as he returns to focus on her breasts.

  
She looks at Lars and finds it hot that his cock is visibly hard through his boxer briefs, and still doesn't touch himself. “Since you’ve been such a good boy, Lars, you can come over here.” Jo says. Lars stands up and crosses the room in three long steps reaching out to her.

  
“Oh no, not just yet; you’re still grounded. On your knees!” She commands and there goes his breath again, “Good! Now, Gabe; stand up and face him.” She tells him and he complies. His hard on is huge, knot almost beginning to swell, but she knows Gabe can handle it. She knows he loves to do it… for her. Shit.

  
“Blow him.” The command is simple, and right to the point, Lars shivers and Gabe’s dick reacts twitching. Lars eyes are full of lust, as he gets right to it. He takes Gabe’s boxers down and the Alpha steps out of them, hand on Lars shoulder for balance. Lars hands are on Gabriel’s thighs as he crooks his head to capture Jo’s eyes, with her lips curled up in a wicked smile she says, “I told you I like watching. Now, suck! I want you to lick him sweet and eager. Then take him hard and as deep as you can… I want to see your face red with the effort. Can you do that for me?” she pouts again, and Gabe could eat her right now, she’s a devil… _his_ devil.

  
Lars is confused, it’s not that he hasn’t done it before but never like this; never being instructed, bossed around… it’s not a bad feeling, though. He looks up to Gabe, questioningly, and the shorter man coyly says, “You heard the lady”, Gabe grabs his hair pulling him closer to his cock, “Come on, gorgeous, I know you want it”

  
Lars complies.

  
He licks the tip of Gabe’s dick, and Jo gasps at the sight. Gabe responds to Jo’s breathing and grabs Lars by the hair, pulling him closer, leaving Lars’ mouth right on Gabe’s balls. The guy licks the shaft from base to tip then opens his lips to take the tip in. Gabriel begins to breathe through the mouth, unable to disguise his arousal, and when Lars sucks in for the first time, Gabe’s head tilts back and Jo gets closer, his hand grabbing her breast, pinching her nipple and moaning. Lars never stops taking him in his mouth, working his tongue around the dick, sucking and making little noises. The moment Lars finally takes him whole into his mouth, Gabe pulls Jo into a deep kiss, them both starved for each other mouths.

  
Jo grabs Gabe’s testicles and cups them one at a time, fondling, pinching the sack, and never really stops kissing him, “Baby, let’s go to bed” she calls out while kneeling in the middle of the bed, motioning her hand to get Gabe at her back, gluing him to her, his mouth on her neck, biting and breathing over her skin, making her shiver.

  
She leads Lars by the hand to her front, getting him closer and kissing him for all she’s worthy; she leans on Gabe, encouraging him to align to her body.

  
“It’s Jo’s turn now”, she whispers in Lars’ ears, taking his hand towards the hem of her thong; he palms her hip and continues his journey to her clit, and touches the moistened area of the fabric right on her clit. Jo kisses Lars a little more and then turns the head to kiss Gabriel, and she’s fairly aware of the slightly different way her body reacts at their respective kisses. Where Lars is hot and full of lust, Gabe is…

  
No, she won’t think about that now, instead she winks at Gabe, and blinking in slow motion she whispers, “You know the drill,” and next thing the men see is Jo on all fours. While Lars moves closer, Gabe opens a drawer on the nightstand and takes a bottle of lube and condoms. Jo has a gorgeous blond Nordic god touching her ass, but her eyes are only for Gabe. She smiles at him and says, “Baby, you and me, you know what to do,” and hell if Gabe doesn’t. He positions himself at her back and removes her thong; Lars hand back at her now naked clit, and Jo can’t help but moan loudly, and suddenly sucking at Lars’ index that somehow ended at her lips.

 

Gabriel’s attention focused on her round beautiful ass, he parts her cheeks and begins to fondle her, kissing her perineum, tasting her, licking that pink hole that he loves so much and Jo cries out, unable to stop herself. She’s so close to an orgasm, she can feel it building in her whole body, and almost does cum when she feels the weight on the bed swift and opens her eyes wide at the feeling of another tongue, this one teasing back and forward from her clit to her inner lips.

 

She’s gonna lose her mind, she’s sure about that and when Gabe’s tongue breaches her rim she just forgets about anything else, her breath panting, moaning, meaningless words coming out in whispers, cursing, encouraging the men. The tongues are replaced by fingers, fingers in her cunt thrusting, making her impossibly wet. Fingers inside her ass, opening her, stretching, scissoring, one finger, then two, then three fingers. She’s about to cum on two guys’ fingers and Jo couldn’t care less. The force of her orgasm is overwhelming, and she slumps onto bed, still floating and Gabriel, bless him, asks, “Where do you want me, Pumpkin?”

 

“Inside me.” She says, still blissed out from her orgasm.

 

Gabe smiles, amusedly whispers “Yeah, I know, but there’s two of us today, so where do you exactly want me?” He nips her earlobe and gasps at Lars’ hand on his cock, slowly jerking him.

The gasping breath of Gabe over her ear and knowing that Lars is working him out, is way too much for Jo to bear, she needs him inside, “I want you to knot me, baby. Oh god, knot me now!” She moans.

 

Gabe lies face up in bed and Lars puts condoms on both of them, applies some lube on himself and helps Jo climb on top of Gabe, the Alpha’s shaft filling her up, eyes locked on one another. Lars takes a moment to watch the couple slowly fuck, focused on themselves almost forgetting about him, he touches himself while inserting lubed fingers inside her ass, and only after a couple of minutes he begins to steadily thrust inside her ass, filling her inch by inch, in and out he goes, until he bottoms out.

 

Jo can barely breathe, Gabe holds her, caresses her, whispers loving words, praising her beauty, her body, how brave she is for doing this. She takes it, she takes them both and feels dizzy but fast enough she gets used to the intrusion, used to being so filled up and still sure she’s being torn apart.

 

Lars has stayed still for a few minutes or hours, none of them are sure. All they can hear is the muffled noises of their bodies pressed together, their hearts thumping harder and louder. It’s a freaking concert. Gabe kissing her neck, licking and biting a little. Lars is having a hard time staying still but does his best kissing her neck and tracing his hand all over her side, from shoulder to hip and back.

 

“Move.” Jo breaths out, barely audible as if they were not expecting her to talk. Lars begins to move slowly into her, “Faster, I’m not gonna break.” She tells him. Lars does as he’s told and it burns but Jo is so horny she decides it’s the good kind of burn. “Kiss me, Baby, kiss me and fill me, I need you.” She tells Gabe. Gabe starts moving slowly and short, Gabe’s the end receiver of Lars’ brutal thrusts on Jo, that only rocks her against Gabe, trapped underneath them both. The friction is enough for Jo to whimper and that’s all it takes for Gabe’s knot to start to swell.

 

“Stop, Lars!” She all but screams, as she looks at the blond over her shoulder, her right hand stopping his hips from pump in again. All Lars can do is stop and hold his breath for her next command. “Stop for a second, I wanna switch.” She tells him. She’s got a plan to follow, somehow she knows this is a one-time deal, and she’s gonna make the most of it. “I want you inside him” she says pointing at Gabe, making his cock twitch inside her.

 

Gabe is not usually a bottom, but Lars is large and beautiful, and he wants to please Jo, so that’s enough for him to comply. Lars slips out of Jo and grabs the lube, she moves to the side to let Gabe slip out of her and receive Lars’ lubed fingers on his rim. There’s some resistance there, but he tries to relax and Lar’s obviously very talented, because his fingers work magic there, he works him fast and pretty.

 

Jo watches the whole interaction with eager eyes. Touching herself, watching Gabe look at her while Lars’ inserts fingers in and out. One, two, three fingers, scissoring, pushing, taking Gabe’s testicles with the other hand, and licking the base of Gabe’s dick, and Jo wishes she could take a picture. But she’s got a better idea. She approaches them, slowly, trying not to lose a single movement of the men. She pushes Lars’ head aside and takes Gabe in her own mouth for a few minutes.

 

The air becomes impossible to breathe.

 

That’s it. “Enough. Baby, get on all four. Lars, fuck him.” She instructs them. Lars was already putting on a new condom and lubing himself and putting some more lube on Gabe, he can tell that the Alpha hasn’t done this in a while. Jo pats Gabe’s head, telling him how good he is, how beautiful he looks like this, and Lars works his way into Gabe. He gasps as the head enters him, burning and stretching, and after a while he signals Lars to start going in more. He holds himself steady, holding onto Jo’s marveled face expression through the pain, that exquisite pain of being held in place by two strong hands on his hips while a cock is buried inside him.

 

Lars gives him a moment to get used to the intrusion, but he’s not a patient lover, so soon enough he starts to thrust, slowly at first but as soon as Gabe begins to moan, Lars loses himself and the pounding turns fierce, making Gabe grab the sheets and scream in pain and pleasure. Every time Lars hits his prostate Gabe head spins and he growls and pants, his arms getting weaker and making it harder to hold himself in position.

Jo watches him broken, lost in bliss, hissing at the burn but never breaking eye contact with her. He’s doing this for her. Oh God, she can definitely give herself to this man, but for now she needs to be part of this. “Stop, Lars, let me get in. I need my baby too.” She says, and the disappointing look in Lars’ eyes is almost amusing. Gabe’s ass is way too delicious to stop for even a second.

 

“Don’t worry, Lars, you’ll keep on doing him, just with me in the picture.” She informs him, they look at her awaiting her instructions. Lars grabbing Gabe’s hips possessively, refusing to get out of his ass. Jo notices, smiles, and says, “Spoon you two, let me get in there and get you inside my pussy, baby, yes… that’s good, oh god yes… mmm, yes, move you two. Lars, you set the pace… oh god, yes, this is it…. go on baby, keep on rocking… it feels so good.”

 

Gabe is divided between two sources of pleasure, Lars stretching his rear and thrusting his into his prostate making him see stars, and then there’s the heat in front of him.  Jo’s body at the mercy of his hands, soft and warm, being inside her feels like paradise. He can’t help but moan and bite Jo’s neck while thrusting into her. “Oh fuck, Gabe… please-please-please don’t stop… fuck Gabe FUCK ME BABY, oh God I can feel it… your knot, oh god knot me baby, knot me and fill me… I’m coming… oh baby I’m coming, oh god, oh god, oh god!” Jo moans out, and she feels like she’s flying away, like a kite anchored by Gabe’s knot, clinging to the ceiling. Over the blood that’s flowing in her ears, she can hear Lars screaming, and feels Gabe filling the condom inside her, and for a second time that night she comes again. The three lovers a mess of arms and legs loose on the bed, minds flying over the moon.

 

After a few minutes Lars comes back from his orgasm and slips out of Gabe, making the Alpha moan at the loss but otherwise feeling blissed out, being buried inside Jo. Lars kisses Gabe’s neck while caressing Jo’s face from behind, and saying something in Norwegian that none of them understands.

 

It doesn’t matter, though. Lars sits on the bed and watches the couple still entangled and locked by Gabriel’s knot, lost in their feelings and their touches.

 

Jo lazily instructs, “Bathroom’s that way, you already know where the door is. Nice fuck Lars, come here.” She takes his hand and makes him come closer, kissing him with no rush and making him kiss Gabriel too. “It was real fun, but let’s _not_ do this ever again. We don’t repeat experiences.” She takes Gabe’s hand from her breast and kisses it while rocking her hips making the Alpha moan louder as a new load of cum fills the condom. Lars smiles at them, and disappears into the bathroom to take a shower.

 

Gabe and Jo rest for long after Lars is gone and the knot has receded, touching and kissing.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, pumpkin.” He whispers into her ear, nipping the earlobe, “This is the first and the last time I share you. You are perfect, Jo. I don’t need anyone else in our bed.”

“Me too, Gabe, same.” Jo says, almost to herself, as she waits for Gabe to clean up and beginning to fall asleep, sore but happy. She’ll dream of a whiskey colored eyes Alpha. She smiles throughout the whole dream.

 

* * *

 

 

Spago’s dinner was absolutely amazing, as usual. The four Winchesters are happy because Cas and Dean are going to get married, date set and everything, and almost more importantly, Ruby is finally getting better. She’s still thinner than the men would like her to be, but she’s eating, and that’s something good. Abbot’s treatment is doing good for her, and the men appreciate it.

 

On the way back home, riding Sam’s SUV they find themselves laughing and singing ‘Thinking Out Loud’ while it comes out of the stereo, teasing at Sam for his musical taste, because, “Seriously man, Ed Sheraan?” Dean says, less than offended at the choice. Cas taps him on the shoulder, reproachfully but playful. 

 

Cas hums because he doesn’t know the lyrics and smiles wide at the fact that Dean teases his brother but knows the song by heart. It’s funny that his boyfriend doesn’t get why Cas smiles so much. He’s also happy because life is good again, as it should always be. He’s been playing in his mind the conversation he needs to have with Dean as soon as they arrive home. Ruby has planted a seed about his apartment, and it only kept on growing inside him.

 

The two couples arrive at the manor and go to their respective wings.

 

“Good night, guys! Misbehave!” Ruby shouts from the first tread of her stairs, she loudly says, “I most certainly will.” Sam, who was still closing the door flushes red, and runs to her avoiding the other couple’s amused gaze. When he gets next to her, he softly slaps her rear, but then he puts his arm around her leading her towards their room.

 

Dean and Cas take their time to reach the upper floor, one step at a time, hand in hand, lost in their own minds. When they arrive at their room, and Cas has no more problem in thinking of this room as _theirs_ , he starts to worry about what he wants to say.

 

“Love?” Cas starts off while taking his clothes off, and carefully folding them on a chair. While Dean just leaves everything on the floor, and jumps on him from behind, wrapping him in a tight embrace.

 

“Hi Babe” Dean says as he rests his chin on Cas shoulder, “Wanna share what’s going on in your mind? You’ve been pretty quiet since we left Spago’s”

 

“I was thinking about what Ruby said, you know, about renting my apartment and moving in here for good?” Cas says almost in a whisper, as if embarrassed.

“Uh ha, and what exactly is it that you have to think about it?” Dean asks, it’s probably  just the booze, but he’s asking this honestly.

 

“Well, it’s not that I have any doubt, but it’s kind of a big step, you know, living together? It’s huge.” Cas tells him as he turns around in Dean’s arms and locks eyes with him, as they’ve done, well, almost every time they’re in the same room.

 

“Wait, are you serious? Cas, Babe, what’s the difference with what we’re already doing? You’ve spent almost every night here since we started dating, and if we’re not here together we spend the night at your apartment. Also, I don’t even think you’ve been back there since we came back from Sioux Falls.” A dark cloud crosses their faces at the memory of that trip, “We’ve spent the last heats in the guest house, but if it makes you feel more comfortable we can always rent a hotel room and role play, it would be kinky.” Dean jokes, kissing Cas nape.

 

The Omega nothing but purrs, “Are you sure? Do you really want me to move in here?” Cas face glows and his eyes shine.

 

“I’ve asked you to marry me, Babe, of course I want you to move in with me. Jesus, I can barely breathe if you’re not around. Those nights alone in Sioux Falls were the worst ever. I couldn’t sleep and I was cranky all the time. So, yes Babe, I want you in my bed every night of my life, and I’m not even talking about sex. I mean I just want to hold you close, to wake up next to you every freaking day for the rest of my existence. Come here and kiss your fiancé.” He tells him, meaning every word of it.

 

Cas is speechless, he clings to Dean’s waist while kissing him lovingly, long and tender, “Will you move in with me, Castiel Anaximander Novak? Will you make me the happiest man on Earth and share my bed every night?” Dean asks.

 

“I will.” Cas laughs and they celebrate until way beyond midnight, when happy and sated after  more than satisfying sex, they go to sleep. Castiel’s face holding the sappiest smile of them all begins to softly snore after a few minutes.

 

Dean could stare at that smile forever, but he also falls asleep. Sappy smile matching his mate’s.

 

* * *

 

 

Sam enters the kitchen on auto pilot, and heads straight to the coffee machine, pours a mug and drinks without worrying of getting burned. He grunts something that might have been a ‘good morning’ to his brother, and takes a few more sips before actually waking up.

 

“Dude! Leave the cooking to the professionals!” Sam says from his seat by the table, opening the morning paper.

“Well, good morning to you too, jerk” Dean lifts his eyes from the pan where the eggs are being cooked, “The chef is sleeping and I couldn’t wake him up without being hurt by a flying cellphone, so I left them to sleep peacefully. Also, I wanted to talk to you anyway. How’s Ruby?” Dean asks Sam.

 

“Asleep too, I couldn’t wake her up, either. She actually attempted to throw a pillow at me. So I also left her to sleep a little longer.” Sam tells him.

 

“Nice! They could be twins, dude… scary…” they laugh a little and then Dean finally asks, “Hey Sammy, could we have a new tenant?”

 

Sam goes back to the coffee machine and slaps Dean’s head on the way.

 

“Hey! What was that for?” Dean asks half laughing, half worrying.

 

“That was because you’re an idiot.” This time Sam takes a moment to add some sugar to the coffee, “The other tenant you’re referring to has been living here almost since the day you first started sleeping together.” He tells him laughing.

 

“How… how do you…” Dean cannot force himself to finish the question.

 

“How? Well let me tell you, brother, that neither one of you is quiet, also my wife likes to gossip. So I know everything.” Sam says with a frown, “ _EVERYTHING_ , Dean!” He says with intention.

 

“Oh Gosh… OH MY GOD…” Dean says and blushes to the root and goes back to the frying pan.

 

“Anyway, stop being lame, moron. We love having you and Cas here. I don’t think we’d even survived last month if you two and Jo weren’t here for us. So thank you, brother, thanks for being there and yes, we’d love to have you and Cas living here as long as you want. Even if it’s as long as forever. Ruby’s even finished decorating Ben’s room.” Sam tells him and he likes the way Dean eyes shine when his son’s name comes in a conversation. “You should take a room in my wing, though. They are way bigger, and each of them has a Jacuzzi,” and he mischievously adds, “Plus they’re sound proof, for everybody else’s sake.” He says, giving him a bitchface.

 

“Really, Sammy? You’ll continue with the joke?” but Dean knows Sam will use this against him for at least a week, and he’ll let him because he soon will find something to tease him again.

 

“Yeah, why not? We’re all grown-ups now” Sam teases, “You can take the one on the opposite side of the hall, the furthest away from mine.”

 

And like that it’s settled. Dean finishes breakfast and they go to wake up their mates.

 

* * *

 

 

Monday morning comes, and Cas goes to pick up Charlie, and they meet with Chuck and Ruby at the firm to discuss the strategy over the injunctions.

 

The ones for the restaurant are the first ones they’re gonna go through. Charlie learns everything that has been done so far and starts getting instructed on how to act and what to say when her time to take the stand in court comes.

 

Cas was right, this is not funny at all but Charlie will do it anyway, if the restaurant is lost, if there’s nothing else they can do to save it. At least she will stand up there for her friend.

 

When it’s Cas turn to go through his dialogues, Charlie answers Ruby’s questions to fill in some forms, and also gives her information about their financial arrangements.

 

Ruby asks Kevin for some forms she’s missing, and also for some tea for her, and coffee and cookies for the rest.

 

“Ruby?” Kevin whispers so Chuck won’t hear him, the boss would kill him if he knew he was about to remind Ruby about unfinished work at the office, “Whenever you have the time there is some mail that you should go through, it’s unlabeled, and there it’s piling up.” He tells her.

 

“Can’t be anything too important, Kev. I passed all my cases to my Uncles before… before…” Ruby can’t even finish, it’s still too painful.

 

Kevin feels like a jerk now, she was doing great and now she’s freaking out again. Dammit, Kev! “No, it’s okay, Ruby. Just wanted to let you know that I’m saving everything, alright?” He tells her, trying to calm her down.

 

“Thanks, Kevin”

.


	34. The name of the game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We want to thank our beta. She's amazing and tomorrow is her birthday and we want to say Happy Birthday Laalaa. We love you!

What's the name of the game?  
Does it mean anything to you?  
What's the name of the game?  
Can you feel it the way I do?  
Tell me please, 'cause I have to know  
I'm a bashful child, beginning to grow

* * *

 

 

Chuck runs the investigation about the restaurant’s financial history himself. Ruby is very attached to Castiel Novak, and Chuck Shurley wants his niece to be happy. He knows that she won’t trust anyone but him, or Carver to go through this case. She considers Castiel a part of her family, and she will worry about the whole process. So, yes, he’ll do the back office work himself, just like he did when he was a rookie, about two lifetimes ago.

He asks his secretary to make appointments to meet with the Novak twins separately that same afternoon. It wasn’t hard, it’s pretty obvious that the twins are on their kid brother’s side, so they both agreed to meet; Balthazar after work and Gabriel at his office. Chuck accepted, because this is his only case anyway. Besides the fact that he has the time it’s also a beautiful day out, and he needs some fresh air.

He meets with Balthazar first, just a quick interview since the antiques expert has an unexpected delivery at his door, and Chuck can actually see him drooling in need to open the boxes. He confirms his story, and parts to the other twin’s office downtown.

Meeting Gabriel was odd, not because of the man himself, but because Chuck was expecting to find a carbon-copy of Balthazar, who he found was someone utterly different in body, and personality. 

Whatever had made them grow up so unlike each other, did not affect their memory. They both confirm that Castiel did not use the family money to open the restaurant. The twins gave their baby brother a loan. The contract for that loan gave Castiel an option for another loan with the bank, with the twins as guarantors.

So, in Gabriel’s words, “Lucifer can shut up and mind his own freaking business”, because if Heaven forbid, anything happens to Cassie, it’s them and Charlie who would own the restaurant. Gabriel promises Chuck to send the loan documents over to his office the next day, and just like Balthazar, says he would very gladly testify on Cassie’s behalf.

“Let me put it this way, Mr. Shurley, we don’t fear Lucifer. In fact, my big bro can blow me and swallow, pardon my French. The times when he could do any harm to us is way past, legally and personally speaking.” Gabriel tells Chuck never hiding his cocking grin.

Chuck smiles, shakes his hand and says his goodbyes, “I’ll wait for those papers tomorrow, Mr. Novak. It’s good to see Castiel has such good brothers”, and leaves the office towards his own.

He arrives at his office way past his regular leaving time, but he decides to start on the papers he’ll need to file the countersuit instead of going home. He asks his secretary to stay and take notes, getting everything ready for tomorrow morning. One of the counter-suits demands Novak & Novak to stop all harassment against his clients, and the other gives Castiel control over his own trust-fund. By the time Chuck and his secretary finish with the dismissal for all the injunctions, including the one against Castiel for the Meta intoxication, it’s almost 9PM. 

* * *

When they head to court on August the 30 th , the morning is warm and sunny. Castiel, Dean and Ruby decide to take a cab instead of driving, expecting to be upset after today’s session. In the courtroom there will be no cameras or jury, nothing but the lawyers, the Meta couple and the three of them. Sam decides to take his sports car to the hospital, a bit upset at being left out of today’s events.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Sasquatch, man up and go to work. Your wife can handle this.” Dean dismisses Sam’s puppy face while opening the cab door for Ruby to get in.

“That’s easy to say when you get to go, Dean. Please take care of her, guys. Don’t let her get upset!” Sam pleads.

“I love you, Sam.” Ruby says, and waves goodbye from the moving car, blowing a kiss to her mate, making him smile while heading to his own car.

They meet Charlie in the lobby, and she’s talking with Chuck and Carver. She looks relieved when she sees them. “Guys, finally! Cassie, I’m so nervous.” She confesses.

“It’s gonna be okay, Char. Let’s go in now.” Cas tries to calm her down, avoiding to leak that he’s worried sick, only he’s not showing it. Dean being at his side definitely has a lot to do with it. Heaven bless the mating crap.

As soon as they enter the courtroom, they spot the MetaAlpha and his wife. The woman looks downcast, almost hopeless, just the representation of everything a pretty little Omega should be. That’s definitely not what Dean remembers of the woman, where once she was strong and fierce now she’s shy and meek. It’s just like she’s has given up all that strength they saw at The Angel’s Pit the night her husband nearly died. 

The show is on.

“My clients,” Ruby points at Charlie, Dean and Castiel, “their only crime is caring about the restaurant, and for each other. Mr. Novak and Ms. Bradbury haven’t broken any law in any matter. They didn’t take any money from the Novak family trust-fund. They applied for a loan. All the financial paperwork is in this folder, Your Honor. The initial loan was given by Mr. Novak’s siblings Gabriel and Balthazar Novak; the money coming from their personal finances, so there’s no reason for Mr. Lucifer Novak to claim any part of that business. As you can see in the contract, the Restaurant has four partners, all three Novak siblings and Ms. Bradbury. So I call for a dismissal of all charges regarding the restaurant. There is no doubt both Castiel Novak and Ms. Bradbury have taken all the proper steps to build their ownership over the restaurant, all is perfectly legal.” Ruby states never faltering.

“Mr Novak, your turn” Lucifer arcs an eyebrow at the judge’s summoning to step up.

“No further information on the matter to add to what’s been already handed to the Court, Your Honor” Lucifer sits back and looks at Ruby defiantly. 

The Judge takes a few minutes to read and consider the facts and the so called evidence. He comes to a conclusion pretty quick.

“Mr Novak. I’ll call you by your first name since this court seems to be full of Mr Novak’s today, and I rather keep it clear to everyone else who I am referring to.” the judge states. Lucifer nods his agreement, not really interested what the judge calls him as long as he wins. “This seems to be some sort of _crusade_ for you, Lucifer, filling every single injunction you could think of against Castiel Novak. I don’t care for your motives, I don’t care about your family mess, THIS IS _MY_ COURT, and I won’t stand for you making a mockery of it. Lucifer, this case is dismissed, and I hope you have real evidence for the rest of your case, because if the rest of the folders you’ve handed us to work with are like this one, well, I don’t think I have to tell you how that’s going to end, right?” The judge says sternly.

Ruby stays as still as she can, she can’t help but to peek at Luci, and has to make an extra effort to hide the smile that threatens to crawl in the corners of her mouth. This is the moment she’s been waiting for.

“If I may, Your Honor. I’d like to give some background to go with the rest of the cases. It all seems to center around the involvement of Mr Winchester in Mr Castiel Novak’s life, and if I may say so, this seems more like a crusade against Mr. Winchester than real cases.” Ruby tells the judge, as Lucifer starts to stand and object. Only he doesn’t get the chance.

“Dismissed, Lucifer. This is odd from the beginning, I want to know everything there is to know, and the _why this_ it’s like it is.” He nods to Ruby to let her continue, Lucifer sits with a grin on his face.

“It’s not a complex story, Your Honor, it’s actually pretty simple and more regular than any of us could think of. It’s just like any other mating story, like any other folks falling in love. My brother in law, Mr Dean Winchester, met Castiel Novak at his restaurant the day of the incident. None of them made a move that night since the confusion reached us all. They’ve struggled with confusing feelings for a while, none of them really mating-believers. The next time they saw each other was at a gathering Castiel threw to thank my husband, Dr. Samuel Winchester, for helping with the Meta situation the night of said incident. I was a witness, probably the only one there that realized what had happened, of how the mating bond between Mr Winchester and Mr Novak was forged. At the beginning they didn’t understand. Neither of them having been educated on their respective designations, so they didn’t know what was going on with them. Dean was raised by an abusive Alpha father,” Dean flinches in his seat, but Cas grabs his hand and squeezes, “and after his death two amazing Beta surrogate parents took over his education. On the other hand, Castiel grew up with no mother since she died when he was a toddler, his father absent and was raised by his older siblings, all Alphas and not one of them ever thought about helping him understand himself.” It was then Cas’ turn to flinch, and Dean squeezed his hand tighter.

Ruby paused to check the judge's reaction and, pleased at what she sees, she continues, “Castiel became aware of what being an Omega really entitles when meeting his now friend Charlie Bradbury. She helped and cared for him in ways not one of his siblings ever did. With one exception, she didn’t believe in mating so she didn’t care to explain it to him.” Ruby continues on until she is interrupted.

“Your Honor, is there a point in the defense attorney’s fairy tale? Because if there is I would like to hear it, otherwise it’s just like listening to radio theater” Lucifer almost yawns the words.

“Actually, there is a very important point I’m reaching,” the Judge nods so she goes on, “What I was saying before getting interrupted is that neither Dean or Castiel, knew the first thing about mating when they met. Lucifer Novak likes to say that Dean Winchester is after Castiel Novak’s money, but in fact at the time of mating, and we have the documents to prove they’re actual truly mates, he did not know anything about Castiel apart from the fact that he owned a restaurant. They are just two people who fell in love, they’ve taken every step very carefully, and they did not jump into a marriage after two weeks of meeting like any other Alpha/Omega couple would have. They took the time to date, to get to know each other and before their first Heat they registered as mates in the Alpha Office. So you see, there is no reason for Mr. Winchester to deceive Mr. Novak. Also, he doesn’t need an Omega to breed before he turns 30 because he already has a son, a _MetaAlpha_ son. Dean and Castiel are mates, the test proves it, and the fertility and compatibility test confirm it. There is no doubt about it, unless Mr. Lucifer Novak would like to contest the Alpha Office word for it.” Ruby defiantly glares at Lucifer, who’s piercing Ruby’s temple with his ice blue eyes, she returns his glare with a smile, a cynical smile, you’d say, and you’d be right. “There is no reason to doubt the authenticity of this Mating bond, no reason to believe Mr. Winchester is after Mr. Castiel Novak money and no reason, whatsoever, to believe he’s deceiving his mate. So therefore, Your Honor, I’m here to call for the dismissal of all injunctions and bindings against Mr. Dean Winchester and Mr. Castiel Novak.” Ruby finishes.

Carver and Chuck stand up and take her chair for her to sit and she smiles at their praise, she hears Carver say ‘ _You did it_ , dear’, and Chuck, ‘ _Still got it, Rubs_ ’ and she mutters back ‘ _Learned from the best_ ’, and they all sit and wait. On the benches, Dean and Cas never stopped holding hands, squeezing harder when Ruby started to talk about their personal facts, but they know it’s important to their case, so they just ignore the fact that they’re utterly embarrassed. Charlie feels touched by Ruby’s words and passion in her defense of Cas, and hearing her talk about the guys mating bond finally makes her head and heart click. Whatever small uncertainty that would remain in the deepest of her mind is whipped out to never return.

“Mr. Lucifer. Please, be my guest” the Judge boringly says.

Lucifer and Emmanuel rush through the folders on their desk, checking every piece of paper, every document and statement they’ve gathered, scornful faces at a point of despair.

“We have no proof of this supposed child of Mr. Winchester’s, we received no notice of this supposed son. We have not been notified, Your Honor. This is highly irregular” Emmanuel states, holding some folders in his hands and trying not to give away the confusion he’s feeling.

“It had recently been made aware to us as well, Your Honor” Ruby rapidly answers not giving the Judge time to confront her for the lack of information on the matter, “This folder contains the filling on the paternity and the test that proves Ben Braden-Winchester is a MetaAlpha.” She hands in two folders to the clerk, one for the Judge and the other for Emmanuel. 

The defense old sharks know Lucifer quite well, after so many trials and tricks you could say Lucifer cannot fool them anymore. Chuck and Carver know very well how Lucifer likes to file more injunctions than he can win, knowing that ‘winning of the dismissal’ always manages to make the other lawyer feel more confident than he should, and therefore making him commit stupid mistakes he can take advantage of. That’s why they waited for after all of them are delivered to file the paperwork for Ben’s designation, and paternity, and also for the one for the marriage, everything about Ben and the engagement it’s new for Novak and Novak.

Lucifer’s face is red, and for once there’s no superior look in his eyes. Emmanuel checks the documents, frowning and looking so hard into the papers that you’d think he’s trying to set them on fire. Finally he sighs and, avoiding Ruby’s look he says, “No further comments for the moment, Your Honor,” and sits next to Luci, looking demolished. Ruby doesn’t miss Emmanuel darting look towards Lucifer. They’re wasting time and money in this mockery of a trial because Luci wants, in his own words, to ‘ _drag Cassie through the mud till he comes to his senses_ ’

The Judge takes a little longer to read the documents, the parenting, Ben’s MetaAlpha status, the marriage license, everything, then he allows Ruby to question Cas and Dean. She takes a little longer in the questioning, she asks little questions about their relationship, about the plans they have. She gives them time to explain, to share their passion for each other, to put into words every feeling, every warming sensation they have when talking about each other. Lucifer and the Judge take time to cross examine them.

The Judge listens closely, reading the documents and looking at them in the eyes to see if they’re true to their words. When they finish the Q&A, the Judge says:

“Well, it seems that the first impression failed this time, this is not a crusade against Mr. Dean Winchester. This, twisted as it is, it’s nothing more than a family affair. Lucifer and Emmanuel Novak, I would strongly recommend you two to take this matter to the living room of your own homes, and keep it out of my courtroom. I’m fighting the urge to declare you both in contempt for wasting my time and the taxpayers money.” The judge says, not even trying to hide his anger.

Lucifer begins to rise from his chair, with his chest swollen like a rooster, defiant and ready to tell the Judge where he can put his threat of contempt, but Emmanuel puts a hand on Luci’s shoulder and he remained seated and silent.  

The Judge raises his voice, “All complaints against Mr. Dean Winchester and Mr. Castiel Novak, binding money, marriage and life are dismissed.” Cas and Dean hug tight and kiss softly, keeping their foreheads together afterwards, sighing and breathing each other’s air, intimacy despite the place and the public. 

That’s when the Judge realized he made the right decision; he also witnesses the disgust in Lucifer’s face, the discomfort and disdain of the mock in his lips. The Judge knows he should play the fool but him, just like 95% of the attorneys and judges in the city, dislikes this bastard to the bones, so he doesn’t hold out.

“Lucifer, this is the last time you bring a family business to my Court.” He speaks harshly pointing his index to Luci, “Next time you mock my Court or my persona as a Judge you’ll find yourself on the other side of the bench.” And then pointing at Emmanuel, “And you, you need to control your brother or he’ll ruin your firm’s reputation. Now! Is there any real matter to discuss or is it all this kind of nonsense?” He arcs his eyebrows and waits for the attorneys to answer.

Chuck steps forward, “Actually, there is one, Your Honor. We have another dismissal. My client, Mr. Castiel Novak cannot be guilty of a crime he has an alibi for. You have already interrogated him and watched the videos and listened to all the recordings made that night. He was at the front desk all night long and did not once enter the kitchen, and he did not prepare the plates. As you can see, Your Honor, there’s enough evidence to exonerate my client. As for my other client, Ms. Charlene Bradbury, she’s the pastry chef, meaning she did not have responsibility over the plates either, other than cakes and desserts. Again, there is no evidence to have reasonable doubt against her.” Chuck states

The Judge gives Chuck an exasperated look and says, “Mr. Shurley, nice to see you are talking, but I can assure you that you’ll have the same treatment as Mr. Lucifer Novak if I ever find out there are any shenanigans.”

“Oh no, Your Honor, I’m not up to a family feud. The only thing we pursue is justice, my clients’ only wish is to be left alone to live their lives in peace. The countersuits we filled are all in favor of fiancés Mr. Dean Winchester and Mr. Castiel Novak, They just want to be left alone by that side of the family” Chuck side points his thumb to Em and Luci, “Mr. Castiel Novak wants full access to his trust-fund and to be left alone to live his life with his mate. That’s all he asks for.” Chuck finishes.

“Fine, Mr. Shurley. You’ll have some of your petitions fulfilled soon enough, I’ll retire now to my chambers to review all the new information presented.” Everybody stands up as the Judge gets ready to leave the room, “The Court will enter in session again in two hours. Be on time, everyone.” The Judge says, conscious that the attorneys know better than being late.

Carver turns around, “Okay, guys, we’ve got two hours to kill. Let’s get some coffee”

“And pie… I need pie” Dean adds like he’s in pain or something, and pie is the only thing to keep him from dying.

“Sure, Love, you’ll get pie. Let’s get out of here, please. Some company disgusts me.” Cas glares towards Luci.

As they head out Dean sees Emmanuel stepping towards Cas and throws himself between them, as if afraid the older Novak would attack the younger one.  Cas stops him, hand on his arm to let him know it’s alright, Em would never hurt him, physically. He turns to face Emmanuel.

“I’ve got nothing to say to you. Right this moment I have only three siblings. At this moment I can’t decide whether I will ever forgive you for this. I need time to figure all of this out.” He tells him, then turns around and lets Dean grab him by the waist and they head outside together. 

Before the door closes behind them, Dean turns over his shoulder and gives him a killer look. Cas senses it and tugs him closer, easing him, and Deans lets himself be dragged into the peace of Castiel’s warmth. Emmanuel witnesses all this interaction, and curses himself, and makes a mental note to kill Lucifer at the first opportunity available.

Two hours, two slices of pie for Dean, one for everyone else, and more coffee than any regular human being should ever drink in a day, they return to the courtroom.

Everybody sits after the Judge has entered the room and nobody speaks. There’s nothing else to be said so they just wait. They don’t have to wait too long.

“This is what’s going to happen. All injunctions against the Winchester-Novak mates are revoked. There’s no evidence of malpractice against Mr. Novak regarding the Meta Steve Glover case. On the other hand, Ms. Bradbury, it’s my duty to inform you that there’s not enough information to release you from all charges.” There’s a little commotion when Charlie gasps and covers her mouth with her hand, looking into Cas eyes when he turns to comfort her, “The Case is set to go to Court on September 17th, you’re all dismissed.” The judge finishes and he stands and leaves the room, visibly upset.

They all surround Charlie, even Dean is trying to make her feel better. The three lawyers try to ease her tension by telling her that this was not unexpected, and that they have everything ready for her defense. As they leave the place Dean notices that Cas is not even looking at his brothers, but Dean does and he catches the instant when Emmanuel lowers his head, heavy with sadness that leaks from his eyes in the form of a single tear.

* * *

Cas and Dean had already set the date. September 29 th . They’re at the kitchen table, having a beer and water for Ruby, preparing dinner. Ruby complains because there is not enough time.

“It’s only 29 days from today, Cas! There’s no way we can make it!” She tells him.

“Oh, come on, Ruru, you planned _your_ wedding in about the same time, and yours was a Meta wedding, so…” Cas lets his sentence trail off and he continues to chop pork and shrugs.

“Well, yeah, but that was different!” Cas stops chopping and gives her a ‘ _really_?’ look that she decides not to notice, “I mean, it will have to be held here, there’s no time to book anything else.” She tells him.

“I don’t mind, I actually prefer it like that. Is it okay with you, Love? Sammy?” Cas asks.

“Sam,” he automatically corrects and frowns at Dean’s snort, “I’m cool with that, Cas” 

Dean leans over the table and into Cas personal space to kiss him and smiling answers, “It’ll be perfect, Babe”

Ruby clears her throat and continues organizing, “I was thinking, blue, green, and white for the colors, like your eyes, but maybe no particular theme?” She asks. 

“And the white is because we’re virgins?” Dean jokes.

Ruby laughs at that, “Good one, Winchester. Anyway, I think it would be lovely to use matching tuxes with blue touches for Cas and green for Dean. I know!” she cuts Dean’s protest and the subsequent laugh from Cas, “I know it sounds cheesy but I will make your eyes pop. Now, Dean, is there anything you want or need for the wedding?” Ruby wonders.

The answer comes quick and honest, “Pie and Cas” followed by him leaning again and kissing Cas smiling lips.

“OH. MY.GOD… you are a SAP!... My big brother, the mighty Dean Winchester is a big fat sap!” Sam can’t hold his laughter.

“The hell I am!” Dean pouts and then it’s the three of them laughing.

Cas cups Dean’s face in his hands, brings him closer saying, “Oh, Love… you are and I love you for that.”Kissing his nose. That makes Dean so happy that, at that point, even he can accept the fact that he might be a little sap after all.

They continue to make dinner, talking about the wedding and teasing each other.

* * *

Jo arrives at the Community College to sign up for some classes, she’s not sure which career she’ll choose, so she wants to open up the spectrum and then she’ll make a decision. College will start by the end of September, so Jo has the time to organize her life, with the Restaurant currently closed she needs to find a new gig. Gabe offered to support her, but she doesn’t want to live on his money. Proud, strong, little girl. Studies comes first or Mom will be pissed. She talks about it with Gabe, and Jo finally decides to take Management and Event organization classes.

Back at Gabe’s she waits for him to come home, and her mind wanders while having a coffee. She thinks about how nothing changed for them as a couple, officially not fuck-buddies anymore. They were a couple way before Gabe’s ‘ _I don’t want to share you ever again_ ’ statement, and before the Key and Drawer thing. She realizes Gabe made both moves, she loves him for that, and well, she just loves him, period. All her love won’t mask her fear of his Alpha status, and all it entitles. Whether the Novaks consider themselves beyond that or not, she’s recently learned from Dean and Cas’ experience that, when an Alpha  _mates_ , all the rest disappears. Jo would be that  _rest_ .

She’s so lost in her thoughts that she doesn’t hear Gabe coming in. “What’s on your mind, Pumpkin? I can hear you thinking from the front door.” Gabe snorts, kissing her in the temple.

“Uhm pretty much nothing, I mean, I was thinking about you, and how much I like you” she smiles back.

“Yeah… right. Let’s pretend for a second that I buy that.. no, wait… I don’t. C’mon! Don’t try to trick the trickster. You know you can tell me anything, right?” He tells her honestly. 

“I know, baby, it’s just something I need to think through first. It’s nothing bad, that much I can promise. It’s just that I can’t talk about it yet, alright? Besides that, I was also doing some thinking about college and majors; I’ll have to come to a decision soon. I still find it hard to choose.” She explains while pouring a mug of coffee for Gabe and refilling hers.

“You’ll make up your mind as soon as you start the classes, I’m sure, Pumpkin. Now! I was also doing some thinking. Our brothers are gonna get married soon and I bet the house is gonna be a mess. What if you come over, use your key and hang around, you could study, or make dinner, or, you know, send me pictures of you?” Gabe teases, “Seriously, Jo, make yourself home”

“Thank you, Baby.” she leans to kiss him. 

In the kiss there is no sex, just comfort and companionship. Fuck, they’re screwed.

* * *

“ Cassie, how long would you think it’ll take me to get pregnant again?” Ruby distractedly asks while helping Castiel to get the invitations ready to mail, names and addresses written in calligraphy.

“I don’t know Rurru. Your husband is a Doctor, why not ask him?” Castiel amusedly answers.

“I’d love to but I’m sure he’ll minimize it all. He’ll go all, ‘ _It’s too early, Ruby’_ or ‘ _Don’t rush it’_ or even the lamest ‘ _Whenever will be, will be’_ or crap like that” she rolls her eyes and shrugs a bit.

“Poor Sam, stop mocking him! That was funny, though.” Cas winks, “But sorry, I really don’t know”

The audience with the Meta Council is on September 20 th and she wants to be ready, “I just hope I will be soon”, she wants to have a reason to shut them up and send them to hell. Also, she now wants a baby with all her heart.

* * *

Sam has taken time apart from his rounds and staying late to investigate Dylan’s case. The kid is not getting any better. His immune system is getting worse every day and his defenses are almost gone.

Sam needs to do something about it, he can’t lose Dylan too. So he runs tests on his cell composition and blood, and cell behavior when tested with some experimental drugs. He can rationalize the fact that he won’t cure the boy, but he’s betting in retarding the growing of the cancerous blood cell or, at least, help the good cells to reproduce properly.

He tries to find options that are the least invasive as possible, but he can’t be a 100% sure of the outcome. It could work and make him better, it could also be ineffective, and Sam is not sure if he’ll have the time to start over with his research, and of course the third option, the worst one, that one he won’t let himself even consider. All in all, it gives Dylan’s mom and himself a bit of a hope.

He has talked to Dylan’s mom, he explained everything to her one day when Cas came to talk to Dylan about their designation, and he and Dylan’s mom had time to spare to give Cas and the kid some privacy. He explained to her not to get her hopes too high, that the treatment might not be of any help, that there’s a chance that it will make him sick. He says it all with such enthusiasm in his voice though, hope against all odds so she doesn’t doubt it, and she gives her consent. 

Of course they both have their hopes as high as they can get. The treatment starts the next day. Sam administers the drugs himself, carefully recording everything on a chart. Dylan’s symptoms are covered by the medication, and after a few days, there’s no visible change. Of course it’s early, they’ll have to wait and see.  

 

 


	35. Just Want You to Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We cannot start on how sorry we are for the delay but a broken arm, a bottle of vodka, some chips and a wiggle were involved... let your imagination flow.

_Lookin` at your picture from when we first met_  
  
You gave me a smile that I could never forget  
  
And nothing I could do   
  
Could protect me from you that night  
  
Wrapped around your finger, always on my mind

* * *

 

The last few months of distress are finally dissipating, and slowly turning into a new kind of routine. The house is running smoothly again, with Ruby’s guiding hand everything falls into domesticity, just as it’s supposed to be. Sally appreciates it, because she can focus on her chores without worrying  about organizing the whole house.

It’s time for Ruby to slowly get more involved at the firm too, doing most of the work from home. She’s determined to take things easy, doing small things, but doing them properly. Who are we kidding, she’s working her ass off. Ruby had Kevin bring those damned boxes full of files, and random stuff to check, and then deliver them to the associate attorneys that, in her own opinion, can handle it better. She could get used to this… giving orders, organizing work…  

So there she is, seated on the couch with the boxes spread at her feet. A couple of them are already empty, and their contents are separated in organized heaps spread over the coffee table. Three big boxes full of case files, depositions, and photographs from a divorce case she has already handed off to one of the new attorneys her Uncles have just hired.

‘I take it back, I hate bossing people around, this is so boring.’ Ruby thinks while taking a small box from the floor. “The hell is this?” She opens it up to find letters with no sender. Who the hell sends letters anymore? Fuck. She will have to read them one by one and see who was supposed to receive each one of them. People must be stupid, that’s it. Not only are this people sending actual freaking letters, but also, they’re not stating who the recipient is? So, what? Do they feel comfortable with other people reading personal stuff? Fuck them all.

She opens the twelfth letter while sipping the green tea that Cas had brought her a couple of minutes ago, she even has taken a pastry. Her hand holds the cup halfway to her mouth as she reads the letter for the second time.

“CAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSIIIIIIIEEEEEEE” Ruby yells and hears him dropping whatever he was holding in the kitchen, “Come over!! This is important!”

“Rurru what the hell, woman, are you trying to give me a heart attack? I was prepa…” Cas yells before Ruby cuts him short.

“Shut up, you were procrastinating, sit down and read this!”  She hands him the letter she’s just put inside a vinyl, protective sleeve  to keep it clean, and prevent it from getting prints on.

“The fuck…?” He says while starting to read the letter. Castiel recognizes the handwriting right away, and his hand begins to shake. No way. Please, don’t be true. Can’t be. It’s not fair. He’s half way through the letter when the tears begin to fall, tears of sorrow and anger alike.

Sam and Dean were working on Sam’s SUV when they heard Ruby screaming her lungs off, they enter the living room with wide eyes. Sam goes straight to Ruby, kneels in front of her and grabs her face “Are you hurt? What’s wrong?” He asks, and she shakes her head and nods at the Omega sitting next to her. “Cas? What is it?” Sam diverts his gaze as soon as he notices Cas’ tears.

“Babe? What’s going on? Why are you crying?” Dean sits at Cas’ back, wraps his left arm around his mate’s waist and grabs the letter that Cas holds out to him. The stress he senses on Cas makes him mad and upset. He looks around and vaguely notices Ruby on the phone and Sam disappearing into the kitchen, and coming back with the carafe in one hand and three mugs on the other.

It all seems to happen in slow motion.

“Read.” Cas says facing Dean but dropping his face into his hands soon after.

Dean reads, and the longer he reads the reader his face turns, and he can feel the anger rising like never before. He’s  not sure if it has to do with the mating, but this is causing Cas pain, and Dean would gladly kill, and spend his life in prison, if that means he can prevent Castiel from hurting.  

“Uncle, you have to come to the house. I have something to show you. Yes! It’s urgent, and NO, it can’t wait!” Dean hears Ruby talking on the phone but he’s hardly making out her words.

Ruby listens to Chuck on the other side of the line saying, “I have an appointment in five minutes that I can’t reschedule.” Ruby asks him why, “He’s already waiting outside my office, Ruby, that’s why. Has someone died or something?” He doesn’t wait for her to reply though, “Look, I’ll wrap this up as fast as I can, and I’ll head over there, do you need Carver to go as well?” He asks.

“No, leave Uncle Carver alone, he’s got enough going on dealing with my case; and nobody died, but it’ll be good if you could come over soon, this is really something.” She hangs up and turns around to tell the guys, “He’ll be here in about an hour, I’m gonna change into something else, my Uncle hates to see me in t-shirts and sweatpants. Come with me, Sammy.” They head upstairs giving Cas and Dean some space.

“Come on, Babe, let’s go upstairs for a while too. I think we both need to relax a bit.” Dean says as he grabs Cas’ hand, and they go to their bedroom. Castiel tries to start talking, but Dean shuts him up with a kiss. Sweet at first, but heating up as they deepen it, hands slowly mapping each other’s backs. Soon enough the stress falls under the magic of their tongues fighting for control, and losing to love. They relax in each other’s arms, forgetting about everything but themselves. Their hard-ons pressing together, Dean grabs his mate’s ass to bring him closer, and all that can be heard is the heavy breathing, and sound of their clothes brushing. Cas feels like he’s about to faint for the lack of oxygen, so he parts the kiss, and rests his forehead against his Alpha’s, smiling and breathing fast, heart racing.

“I like your relaxation tactics, Love.” He laughs.

“Oh, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Dean winks, and Cas watches, open mouthed, when Dean falls to his knees, rapidly going to his belt, and in two moves Cas’s pants are around his knees. Dean pulls the hem of his boxer, and Cas forgets the letter, the trial, and himself, when his mate locks eyes with his and swallows him in one go.

“Oh, Dean… oh, God, this feels so good.” He looks down at his Alpha, face red as he relaxes his throat to receive him, and Cas just knows he won’t last. “Dean, please… please stop, I’m… I’m gonna…” Dean hums around Cas’ shaft, and clasp his nails into Cas thighs encouraging him to cum. Castiel doesn’t fight it anymore, he grips Dean’s hair tightly, and with three thrusts of his hips into the Alpha’s mouth he cums, hot and heavy inside his mate’s throat. Dean swallows every drop of it, and cleans him with his tongue as he’s sucking his way off his Omega’s cock. Dean licks his lips still savoring the taste of Cas’ cum, and chuckles as Cas pulls him in for a thank you kiss.

“Let’s get you cleaned before Chuck arrives. I should probably brush my teeth too.” Dean winks, and Cas wishes they had found each other years ago, because this feels heaven.

He doesn’t say it though, he lets his eyes speak of his feelings, and makes plans to make it up to Dean tonight. “Yeah, that’d be probably wise.” He deadpans, making Dean laugh harder.

Twenty minutes later they go back to the living room, and they find Ruby chuckling at them, and Sam giving them a reproving bitch face, “Really, guys? No… don’t say anything… I don’t wanna know. There’s fresh coffee in the kitchen, Chuck is gonna be here any second, just go and get some.” He looks questioningly at Ruby as she laughs her ass off at his last comment.

“Love, I think Chuck has arrived.” Cas tilts his head at the sound of the front door closing. Dean grabs the carafe, and Cas takes an extra mug as they join the rest in the living room.

“Castiel, Dean. Hello, gentlemen. Ooh coffee, thanks! Now! Let’s see what was so urgent that I had to fly over.” Chuck says, eager to hear what was so important.

Ruby hands him the letter grinning wide, “Here, Uncle. Tell me this is not important” she triumphantly says.

Chuck puts on his reading glasses and reads out loud. Sam, who hadn’t read it earlier, and Dean who had read it partially, finding it impossible to fully understand, because of Cas’ earlier distress, pay special attention.

“Mrs. Winchester.

You don’t know me, but you know my former employers, and I think you might be able to help them.

This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do, explaining every reason, every stress I’ve been under since it all started.

You see, Mrs. Winchester, I was a fool and I let myself believe in fairy tales. How could I ever believe she loved me? How could I have ever believed that she really wanted to be with me?  I did though, I did believe she loved me, and that she wanted to be by my side until the end. I bought every lie she ever told me. I trusted her when she told me that the only way to achieve that was getting rid of him.

So I hurt Castiel and Charlie, the two most wonderful people I have ever met, the only people that ever believed in me, bosses who didn’t care how clumsy I am, and how many plates I’ve broken over time with my butter fingers. They always seemed to see something in me, something else, valuable, promising, and I ruined it. I’ve ruined everything, and I couldn’t be more sorry.

All the good things they did for me, the worst busboy ever, everything that Castiel and Charlie saw in me, I threw it away at the very moment she told me she loved me. That was it, every time we slept together she kept making promises. She started plotting, we plotted for almost two months, two months to find the perfect night to carry out the plan.

The moment had finally arrived, it was an easy quiet night at the restaurant, and there was even a Meta birthday to set a distraction both in the kitchen, and on the floor. All I had to do was to spill a few drops of a juice she had given me on the hors d'oeuvres. I thought she only wanted him to get sick, but that same morning she told me that she was going to hide his EpiPen©, and I got scared, but I was so in love I couldn’t think straight. Just a few drops, and just like that, a life would be gone.

Only it didn’t work out that way, because that doctor was there. Also, she didn’t get to hide his EpiPen©, so our plan was ruined. For a while I hated that doctor, but then, when the heat, and the stress turned into guilt, I realized what I almost did, and I was grateful. One day, not that much later from that awful night, I realized that she had never loved me. She had used me, and I had let her.

She’s someone important in the Meta world, just dig, and you’ll find her.

Please tell Castiel and Charlie that I am truly, deeply sorry. I wish I had lived up to their hopes.

She gave me money so that I’d go away forever, so that is what I’m doing. I’m sorry. I truly am.

Alfie.”

“I’ll be damned” Dean mutters, wrapping Cas in his arms, “I’m sorry, Babe, relax please, Ruby’s gonna make it alright.” He says at his ear kissing his temple.

Chuck tsks, “To make sure of that, Dean, we’ll have to find the guy, he’s the key to winning this. We need to prove this is real, otherwise the restaurant will still be responsible for their employees actions.” He sighs, “I’m gonna take this back to the office, and have it sent out to be analyzed by the lab. You did the right thing to put it in the folder, Rubs. Did anyone else but you touch the paper?” He asked.

Ruby gives him her bitch face, and Chuck smiles, and gets up from the couch. “This is gonna be interesting. We’ll have to find out who “she” really is in the Meta scene, she’s gotta be someone important underground. This is gonna be very interesting indeed”. He tells them

Ruby nods and her mind races like wild horses. Is this woman somebody’s mistress, like the men seem to think? Or maybe she’s someone else. Ruby’s not gonna make any assumptions, she’s going to wait for the lab report, and begin to check the Meta’s Wife’s  background and personal history. It’s going to be only the obvious stuff at first, but sometimes, oh sometimes, obvious stuff can lead to more important information.

After Chuck leaves, Ruby checks every phone number she has on file, and every other number, and also makes Cas remember the name of people that would know about Alfie’s whereabouts.

They spend the next two hours trying to find Alfie, but the effort is no good. He seems to have vanished into thin air. Sam and Dean meanwhile, go to his apartment, and every place his co-workers said he used to hang around. Nobody has seen Alfie in a long while.

Dean calls Cas and lets him know that they’ve checked everywhere, and still haven’t found him, and that they are heading back to the house.

Cas begins to panic.

* * *

 

September 17th finally comes around, and a sunny, warm breeze welcomes them outside. They’re ready to go to court, and Jo would love to go and show some support for her future brother-in-law, but since only the ones involved in the trial will be allowed in, she decides not to miss her morning class, and leaves wishing them luck.

They arrive with time to spare, so they hang together outside the courtroom chatting and trying to help Cas relax. Dean, Cas and Ruby are allowed in as the deputy makes the call, but Sam and Charlie have remain outside. They’re witnesses, so they wait together, watching the wall in front of them and wishing to be inside.

On the bench on the opposite side of the courtroom door, Sam takes a good look at Mrs. Glover. Her face is pitiful, she seems abate and hopeless, and Sam can’t help but wonder what her problem is. A MetaWife has money, position, and all the perks he knows so well, but then again, Sam also knows that money and prestige is not a guarantee for happiness. Every paradise has its problems and, sometimes, they can cloud the sky and hide the sun.

He’ll never understand how someone could stay with a person if not for love, and just because of the money. Dean raised Sam with social conscience, and personal value awareness. Probably not the perfect Meta himself, but Sam is better than most of them. Dean would kick his ass if Sam dares to think otherwise.

Inside Castiel gives his deposition, same questions as the last time they were here, same kind of cross examination. Same old interrogation, and Cas does his best not to give away how endlessly upsetting this is. He’s not going to give Lucifer the satisfaction.

“None of them have been seen again by any of our crew. Not Charles or Alfie” Castiel states at the end of his deposition. Chuck had instructed them not to mention the letter just yet, it’s too soon, and if they don’t play that card right it could end up being counter-productive.

After Castiel leaves the witness stand, it’s MetaAlpha Steve Glover’s turn. He obviously states that he did not have any idea about the food he was served. He purposely states, and remarks that he had marked the table he had booked with an allergy alert.

“How is it that your wife, knowing about your allergies, and the EpiPen© that you carry in your pocket, did nothing but scream when it was obvious that you were choking?” Chuck distractedly asks, meaning to mask the importance of the question, but planting the seed for future harvesting.

“She was in shock, of course! How could she imagine that such a restaurant could be so reckless to go and poison a Meta, of all people!” He sounds so offended, as if the death of a Meta would be more important than any regular fellow.

When called to the stand, Mrs. Glover answers the more insignificant questions, but then refuses to continue talking, alleging she did not notice anything particularly disturbing that night. “Only, I did notice the restaurant owners were very distracted by the Meta Doctor’s birthday table. As if that was the only important table that night.” She spits out, venom in her voice.

Damned woman, that was such a clever thing to say. Fuck Lucifer.

She’s excused from the stand after Ruby finishes her questioning, and Charlie takes her place.   
She’s asked about the kitchen flow that day.

“The kitchen was a controlled mess, just like any other restaurant kitchen in the world. That night things were running real smoothly, actually. The sous chef was shouting orders at the chefs de partie, the chefs were shouting orders to the busboys, and each and every one of the crew members were working in sync.” Charlie explains, as she paints the picture of daily life in the kitchen. “Don’t get the wrong idea, the shouting is not in anger, but only so orders can be heard over the cacophony of pots, pans, knives, running water, and oven doors being opened and closed. To the inexperienced eye, the kitchen might be overwhelming, and chaotic, but I assure you it’s an organized chaos. That night especially, nothing out of ordinary happened, nothing suspicious, nobody did anything that they weren’t supposed to be doing.” She explained.

Chuck continued to guide her through her deposition, and then it was Lucifer’s turn. What was she doing at the moment of the poisoning? What were the sous and the other chefs’ doing? Had she seen anything suspicious in the kitchen that night? It goes on and on, mainly repeating the same questions Shurley had just made moments before, but with an accusatory tone, making Charlie very uncomfortable, much to Luci’s delight.

The other people that were present at the restaurant as customers, and some of the kitchen crew were also called to the stand. They are all cross examined, and eventually leave the stand for someone else to follow. No deposition changed from what Ruby had taken in situ that night.

And then it is Sam’s turn.

Lucifer positions himself in front of the stand, tall and intimidating. He’s not even close to Sam’s height, but the bastard’s pose is meant to make the witness uncomfortable. Well, maybe for anyone not as tall, and confident as Sam.

Lucifer: “State name, profession and designation”

Sam: “Samuel Tristan Winchester. Pediatric Oncologist. MetaAlpha”

L: “Were you at The Angel’s Pit on May the 2nd?

S: “I was”, ‘And you know that’, Sam thinks.

L: “What were you doing there exactly, Mr. Winchester?” Lucifer doesn’t even bother to look at Sam, as if he were unimportant.

S: “My family and I were celebrating my 25th birthday.”

L: “Would you say it was a pleasant evening?”

S: “Delightful would be a better word.” ‘What is with this line of interrogation?’ Sam wonders.

L: “In your professional opinion, would you say that on said night, you saved Mr. Glover’s life?”

S: “I’d say that I probably saved him from a lot of pain. He had his EpiPen© in his pocket after all. He would have been able to apply it himself, if the fuss hadn’t been so much. In my opinion everyone’s shouting overwhelmed Mr. Glover.”

L: “So, let me get this straight… you did not save his life?”

S: “As I said before, he should have been able to administer the shot himself, but for some reason he didn’t. So, yes, I’d say I did save his life. The thing is, Sir, every one of us saves lives every day, one way or another, by just loving somebody or teaching someone to be a better person. Of course, put in that situation, I knew exactly what to do. Actually, everything could be summarized by saying that it was a question of being in the right place at the right time.” Sam says minimizing his actions. Sam doesn’t want to be a hero, he was just doing his job as a doctor.

L: “I see. Well, would you say Mr. Castiel Novak was helpful?”

S: “Cas, I mean, Mr. Novak arrived by Mr. Glover side two seconds after me, and he was more helpful than anyone that night.”

L: “Would you say Mr. Novak was around the tables all night?”

Even though Castiel is no longer on trial, the judge allows this line of questioning, because he just needs to know exactly what happened that night.

S: “I didn’t check on him every second of the night, but every time I turned my head he was there. Either behind the bar or checking the tables.”

L: “Is Mr. Novak related to you?”

S: “No and yes. Castiel is not blood related, but he’s my brother’s mate.”

L: “So, is that the reason you were at that restaurant for such an important night, as your 25th birthday?”

S: “The restaurant’s food is amazing, and the place itself is nice and familiar. That’s why we were there. My brother and Castiel did not even know they were mates at that point, they found each other that same night. Even the mating itself took longer than usual because of this mess. So no, we didn’t know Mr. Novak before that party.” It’s evident that Lucifer is somehow trying to throw dirt on his brother’s happiness, and heaven help him, he’s so tempted to rip Lucifer’s throat out, but he fights his instincts.

Lucifer smiles at him, reading Sam perfectly. That sight gives Sam shivers.

L: “Is Mr. Novak’s attorney your significant other?” That throws Sam off balance for a second.

S: “Who? Chuck? No, I’m not into dudes.” Sam teases giving Luci his best bitch face.

L: “Please be serious, Mr. Winchester. The other attorney, the other Shurley at the table.”

S: “Oh, you mean the brunette bombshell? Yes, she’s my wife, and this is relevant to the case how…?” He trails off. Two can play at this  game.

L: “Everything is relevant, Mr. Winchester.”

Ruby and Sam’s eyes lock having a silent conversation, ‘Shut the fuck up, Winchester’, Ruby’s eyes say. “But.. but…” Sam’s eyebrows answer. “NO. Shut your mouth, and let Lucifer play his little game.” Ruby’s body language orders. “OKOK I’ll behave” the curve of Sam’s lips agree.

L: “So, Mr. Winchester, Sam…” he stops at Sam’s clearing his throat.

S: “It’s Dr. Winchester to you, Mr. Novak.” Sam cuts him off.

L: “Fair enough. Dr. Winchester, you really don’t see the problem here?”

S: “No, not really, maybe I’m stupid. Oh, no, wait! I’m a Meta so, no I’m not. Maybe it’s just that there is no problem here at all.”

L: “Oh, I see several problems here. Mr. Novak hiring his sister-in-law as his lawyer is a problem for one. Also you, Dr. Winchester, you being the one who saved his day, his brother-in-law-to-be… that’s a big problem if you ask me!”

S: “Oh, but nobody is asking you, Mr. Novak. Also, did you even have a question in all that nonsense you just said? Anything important that you wanted to ask me, but failed to?” Sam sounds really annoyed, and Ruby stops breathing. It’s been a very long time since she’s seen her husband so upset.

L: “So you don’t see the problem here?”

Judge: “Mr. Novak, enough! Statements for the closing arguments, please.” The judge says tiredly.

S: “No, I still don’t” Sam goes on, paying no attention to the judge, heated by the argument, “On May 2nd, Castiel was only the restaurant’s owner as far as my family knew, he only became family  after the events of that evening. So of course my wife defends him, he’s family now!” The judge bangs his gavel hard against his desk, but Sam isn’t paying attention to him, and continues. “So where do  you see a problem? All I see is love, love for someone who is amazing, and that has brought nothing but good things to my brother, and to our whole family. We believe that family doesn’t end with blood, and we have accepted Castiel as a permanent member of our family. We also put love, and family first. Maybe you should try it sometime. I know your brother would appreciate it, because you seem to have conveniently forgotten that Castiel is YOUR little brother. Oh well, hey, Not my family… except, that, well Castiel is family now.” Sam finishes, angrier than he has been in a long time. Lucifer pushed his buttons, and lit him up like a Christmas tree.

L: “The prosecution rests, Your Honor.”

Judge: “Dr. Winchester, next time you choose to ignore the court’s order to stop, I will choose to ignore that you are a Meta, and will charge you with contempt. Mr Shurley, your witness.”

Chuck: “Sam, as a Doctor, do you think that Mr. Glover was in imminent danger?

S: “He was but at the same time he wasn’t. Apparently, he ate something containing shellfish, which he’s extremely allergic to, but on the other hand, he had his medication with him. Anyone could have had applied it. His wife could’ve helped him, anyone in his party who was aware of his allergy, and knew where he kept his EpiPen© could’ve, and obviously, he could’ve used it. So, in my opinion, his situation was not dire. One would assume that his mate would know how to act under such circumstances. Although, being a doctor, I was able to act more quickly than most would.” Sam finishes, his professional voice steady and loud.

C: “Thank you, Sam. No further questions, Your Honor.”

J: “Good. We’re done for the day. Both parties have until October 9th to present your witnesses and any further evidence. Only parties and witnesses will be allowed. I’m tired of this freak show. This court is adjourned. ”

After a stressful day in court, they all head to The Angel’s Pit, which Sam has insisted on remodeling.  Castiel and Charlie finally start to believe that, once all the this legal shit is over, they’ll get a second chance. Jo is very happy to have a job again, and she’s there with Gabe when everyone arrives.

So here they are now, ready to have dinner, everyone in a good mood. Even Charlie and Meg are looking a little better after almost breaking up. They’re talking animatedly, and smiling at each other. Gabe is hugging Jo from behind, and laughing at Balthazar. Baz keeps teasing him about being whipped, but only Gabe knows it’s true. Cas and Dean are in the kitchen, cooking, and constantly invading each other’s personal space. Nobody hears them complaining though.

Sam leans over to Ruby, and gives her a soda. He sits down next to her at the bar and asks her, “Remember, my love? Only five months ago we were just a bored MetaAlpha/Beta couple. Just working all the time and coming home to an empty house. Well, look at us now, surrounded by an awesome family, and a home full of love. I don’t think I could love you any more without my heart exploding.” Sam kisses her temple and whispers in her ear, “Let’s make a baby tonight.”

“I think we’ve already made one, but I wouldn’t mind trying again… gotta make sure, you know?” she replies with a smirk.

Sam’s smile is brighter than the sun. They hug tight and their kisses start to get heated, making promises of a very busy night. Dean comes out of the kitchen and shouts “GET A ROOM, YOU TWO!” Laughing out loud when they both jump from their seats.

“Food’s ready!” Castiel announces, “Clam chowder in honor of my lovely fiancé.”

They sit and eat, talking as if they never see each other much, laughing and teasing. There’s always something new to share with the family. The trial is the main topic, of course, they compare theories and they update Gabe, Jo and Meg about it all.

Meg innocently asks, “So Jo, girl, when are you and Gabe make it all official?”

“Oh, no. I don’t wanna be the other. We’re taking things slow. I’m too young to rush things, you know…” Jo nervously dismisses.

“Wait… wait… wait… you don’t wanna be the what, now?” Gabe blinks, shaking his head as if that was a silly thing for Jo to say.  

“The other, you know… your work always comes first.” Nobody at the table buys that even for a split second, but they’re family, and family knows when a subject is sensitive.

Gabe takes his spoon and plays with his food for a moment muttering “We’ll talk about this later”, gazing sideways at her. She smiles almost as if she’s panicking, and focuses on her own plate.

* * *

 

Two days before the trial, Sam and Ruby are standing in the middle of their bedroom looking at a stick in Ruby’s hand. She sighs heavily and walks towards the bathroom. Sam follows her, and leans against the door frame.

“Ruby, if you don’t take it we’ll never know. Please, just go for it, we did it right. We’ll love this baby as much as the first one.” Sam steps in and turns Ruby by the shoulders and continues, “Honey, we’re not doing this just because we need it to stay together. We want this, I want this. I’m so ready to be a dad.” He tells her, with a giant smile on his face.

She smiles and goes to take the test, messy stuff no matter how much they upgrade it, she sets the stick over the edge of the sink, and goes to sit next to Sam on the bed.

“You know, Ruby, I’m so happy we’re doing this. I want a baby so bad, and if in the process we get to stay together, well… that would be the cherry on top.” Sam tells his wife, so excited at the prospect of a new baby. Ruby leans her head on his shoulder and he holds her tighter, “Let’s just wait here. We’re in this together till the end.” He says, with a big, goofy grin on his face.

They wait side by side, and arm in arm, for the longest three minutes of their lives.

* * *

 

Dean watches from the front door how Sally storms out of the kitchen with an annoyed look on her face. The odd thing is, she’s usually good natured, and since Dean and Cas have moved in, and done most of the cooking, a very happy person too.

Dean smiles to himself but remains out of Sally’s path. He knows better than to get in her way.

“Mr. Winchester, do you need me to change your bedding?” Sally asks, and that’s a first. Dean now knows she’s not in her right mind set.

“No, Sally, thank you. We did it ourselves this morning. Why don’t you go and see your mom? I know Cas is making a mess in there, and there’s not much for you to do today anyway. Go on, I’ll talk to Ruby.” He gives her his most charming smile, and Sally agrees relieved.

She doesn’t even stop to change her clothes, just goes out of the front door, and in record time Dean hears her car start and leave.

Back in the kitchen there are appliances and supplies everywhere. On the counter, on boxes, on the floor, and over the kitchen table. Everywhere. Cas looks around, and can’t understand where all these things were kept in the kitchen of his old apartment, and there’s a ton of stuff.

He’s looking at the boxes trying to decide the best use for the IKEA cabinet that Dean had assembled earlier. There is absolutely nothing he can bare to part with. Sure, he might not use everything he has here ALL the time, and there are even a few things that are still in their boxes, but he’s a trained chef dammit. He needs these things. He just needs to find a place to put them. He’s also has the “standard” kitchen items, like pots, pans, utensils, and big and small appliances. He also some sort of magic useless thingies, as Dean likes to call them, and he needs to have handy. “One of these ‘thingies’ makes the ice-cream that you like to have with your pie, so maybe the next pie won’t have ice cream on it , since you think all these thingies are useless.” Cas deadpans and inevitably makes Dean laugh with all his body.

Almost an hour later, most of the boxes and stuff on the counter and table are put away. Cas takes a moment to admire his work, the manor’s kitchen could now be mistaken for a small restaurant’s kitchen. The kitchen is perfect, it has just the right dimensions to fit everything in it, without it looking cluttered. The person who had designed it, was obviously excellent at their job. They envisioned it not only aesthetically, but also keeping in mind the practicality, and the kitchen flow.

Cas thinks he could cook in this kitchen forever.

“Nesting much? Is it safe to enter now?” Dean asks peeking through the kitchen’s half open door.

“Very funny, Love. Nesting, uh? You could say so, yes. I was thinking that I could live here forever, but then I realized that we’ll need a house of our own. We’re gonna be a married couple. It’s well known that married couples need a place to call home, right?” Cas’ words cascade out of his mouth.

“Well, yeah. I mean, we will have our own home, Babe. Probably not next door, and most definitely not this big but we’ll have our dream house.” Dean gets closer and wraps his arms around Cas’ waist, holding him from behind, kissing his neck and continues talking in his ear, “Unfortunately, this is not the best time to buy and, we need to wait and see what happens with the trials. Also, we need to figure out our finances, raise our credit scores, so we can make sure we buy a house that we both love.” Cas spins in Dean’s arms, and wrap his arms around Dean’s neck, the Alpha goes on, “That’s gonna take time. In the meantime, we could move into the guest house, if you prefer, we’d have more privacy. I don’t know, honestly? I love being in a big house full of people. Anyway, I’ll do whatever you want, Babe. I only want to be with you.” Dean nervously tells his Omega.

Cas can’t help the huge grin that breaks out on his face, eyes locked with Dean’s, too overwhelmed by his mate’s words to really say anything. His lips are about to clash onto Dean’s when the kitchen door opens, and Sam and Ruby storm in, with a stick in hand shouting, “WE DID IT!! GUYS, WE DID IT!”

Dean looks confused but Castiel grabs Ruby up in a hug and they jump together, laughing and congratulating her.

“Mind sharing with the class? C’mon people, enlighten me!” Dean complains.

Sam runs to him and envelops him in a bear hug, “We’re pregnant, Dean! WE’RE PREGNANT!” Dean returns the hug, clapping his back, fighting the tears of joy for his brother and wife.

“I didn’t know!” Dean is happy, but still slightly confused. Cas comes to the rescue, and after hugging Sam, he goes back to his mate’s arms and explains to him.

“They’ve been trying for a baby for the past month or so. Apart from the obvious reasons, there’s also a chance that being pregnant will make the Meta council not to separate them.” Cas turns his head making sure not to leave Dean’s hug and tells Ruby, “Call Carver right away, Rurru, and you need to inform this to the Meta Council today.”

Dean finds this a bit suspicious, but he’ll talk to Cas later. This is a time of joy for Sammy and Ruby and he doesn’t want to ruin the moment.

Ruby takes her phone, and makes a quick call to Uncle Carver. His shout of congratulations could be heard by the three men standing in the kitchen and they burst out in laughter.

“Uncle Carver says we need to have a blood test done, and inform the Council right away, Sammy. You do the honors, I don’t want to talk to them if I can help it.” She tells Sam, excitement still laced in her voice.

Sam kisses her as they go to the car and head out to the hospital.

* * *

 

“Hello, this is Doctor Samuel Tristan Winchester. Meta Number 4144”

“Oh, Dr. Winchester pleased to meet you. Ed Sommers.” The guy behind the counter extends his hand, and Sam shakes it. “How can I help you?” Ed asks him.

“Same. I’m here to inform of a pregnancy.” Sam tells him, not even trying to hide his smile.

Ed types his name into the computer, searching for Sam’s file. “Uh hu, and who’s pregnant?” He  question without lifting his eyes from the computer screen.

“My wife, of course, Ruby Shurley Winchester.” Sam says proudly.

“Good. Evidence, please?” Ed ask, as he places a manila envelope with Sam’s Meta number on it on the counter.

“Here.” Sam opens the envelope, and places the test results from the blood test that they ran earlier in it.

Ed takes the envelope and seals it, putting it aside for the time being. He turns back to the computer again scrolling down and nodding along until…

“Ooh, this is not good… not good at all. Dr. Winchester, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to take your pregnancy report. It says here, Sir, that your wife is already pregnant.” Ed explains, and looks as confused as any human being could ever be.

‘Well, now the MetaOffice’s shitty reputation makes perfect sense.’ Sam thinks and has to refrain from laughing at the young boy.

“Ed, if you check your records again, you’ll find that we lost a baby two months ago.” Sam explains to him, and nope, there is still the same blank look on the kid. “We’re pregnant again.” Sam tells him, and yep, there it is, a tiny light of recognition.

“Oh… OH.. I’m sorry to hear that, yes! Yes! I see it now, my apologies, Dr. Winchester, but again… oh, this is not good.” Ed tells him worriedly.

“What now, Ed?” Sam all but growls, his patience is almost gone by now. ‘You are a nice person, Sam, don’t tell him to shove it.’ He thinks.

“Er..You do know about the trial, right?” Ed hesitates.

“Yes, Ed, we know. Trust me, we’re aware of it.” Once Sam starts talking about it he can’t really stop, “The trial will end soon, I know. She’s my mate, the love of my life, and the mother of my children. No one will ever separate us. If I have to give up all the Meta perks, I will, without as much as a second thought. I don’t care about the house, the job, or the money if I don’t have her. My wife and my son are the most important things in my life.” He tells him, voice dropping and taking a protective tone. He must look scary as hell right now, leaning over the counter top, and his sudden change of voice and demeanor,  because the kid is suddenly red faced.

“I… I understand, Dr. Winchester,” the guy leans over to secretly whisper, “between you and me? If she manages to give birth to this baby, they’ll probably most likely close the case… but you didn’t hear that from me.” Ed winks at Sam, and the Meta almost forgets he’s a silly little bureaucrat.

Sam takes the receipt for the test, and extends his hand for Ed to shake. “I understand, Ed. Thank you, you’ll be the first to know.” Sam smiles wide, and turns around to leave the Meta Office.

* * *

 

The computer screen shows the Ebay baby section, he’s browsing for a new crib. He jumps at the phone’s sudden sound and Sam picks it up at the second ring.

“Winchester residence.” Sam says happily.

“Mr. Winchester?” The voice on the other side asks.

“This is one of the Mr. Winchesters in the house. There are two of us, at the moment.” Sam says with a smile.

“Uh, I see. Well, I don’t have a first name on the invoice.” The other party explains.

Some people just don’t know how to talk over the phone. This is just one of those days, first the awkward Meta Office employee and now, an awkward phone call. Sometimes Sam feels like he’s about to crack, and his mind threatens to turn him into a mean guy. Only he’s too nice of a guy to give into the feeling. ‘Fuck you, Dean, this is your fault for raising me like this.’ Sam curses, not really meaning it.

“How about you tell me what you’re calling about, so I can tell you whether or not I am the right Winchester?” Sam comprimes.

“Um, yeah, that would work. I’m behind schedule with the flower arrangements for the wedding” They explain.

“Okay, shoot.” Sam doesn’t hesitate.

“Yes, thanks, the thing is that the tulips that your fiancé ordered are out of season, so the price is over the budget that you gave us.” The florist tells him.

“I see, let’s do something to fix that then. This is my brother’s wedding, and I don’t want anything to ruin their plans, so go ahead and charge all expenses to this account.” Sam says, as he provides the flower girl with his Meta account, “One condition though, I want this to be strictly a secret between you and me.” He tells her happily.

* * *

 

The audience with the MetaCouncil is the next day, so Chuck and Carver come over for dinner to help coach them on how to behave on the stand. Well, more Sam than Ruby. He instructs them on how to talk, which words to use, and more importantly which ones not to use.

“Even more important than the wording, is the tone you use when talking to a Council authority.” He looks meaningfully at Sam, after his fiasco-turned-funny-turned-good with Lucifer. Chuck doesn’t want any new surprises on the stand.

“Don’t give out any information you weren’t asked for. Limit yourselves to stick to the given question!” Chuck explains.

“Try to stick to short sentences, don’t wander off the topic.” Carver adds.

“Don’t get engaged in the accusations.” Chuck looks wry towards Sam.

“Seriously people, don’t over share, don’t even think on elaborating, except when told to.” Carver insists.

“We’re going with ‘less is more’ here, ten or less words a sentence would be best.” Chuck smiles at Sally when she puts his plate in front of him,

“Whatever you do, always, always tell the truth. Like now, for example, I’m starving. Shall we eat?” Carver finishes, as he gets ready to dig in.

* * *

 

Sam hears Jo coming home and waits for her by the front door, a happy grin on his face, almost glowing.

Jo is returning to the mansion after two days of having fun at Gabe’s, and greets Sam. She is planning on running upstairs to her bedroom, but when Sam speaks, she turns around to look at him.

“I’ve got news, sister!” He smirks.

“What? Did Dean knock up Cas?” Jo laughs, as she shouts from the stairs.

“I heard you, brat! NO, I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid” Dean shouts back from the kitchen.

Sam blushes, and Jo comes back to his side, “What? What happened?” She asks

Sam can’t keep his straight face anymore, he breaks out his 1000-watt smile and tells her, “Ruby’s pregnant!”

Jo immediately wraps her arms around her brother’s neck, and kisses him on the cheek, and hugs him tightly. “Oh God, I’m so happy for you, guys! This is great news, bro! God, this is good!” She exclaims.

Sam hugs his little sister back.

“Ohhhhhh this is so sweet!! Make room for your big brother, bitches!” Dean wraps them both up in a tight, bear hug, making them both laugh.

* * *

 

The big day is here. They , will hopefully soon be free from the MetaCouncil’s accusations. They wait on the benches for the Council to enter the room. They just want to be done with the Meta office once and for all.

The council does not delay with the interrogation process. Ruby is on the stand, her being pregnant doesn’t seem to make them go any easier on her. She’s having one of her good days, though she seems to be coping well under the pressure.

“So, you say that you’re carrying a Meta baby again. Was this a planned pregnancy?” The bastards don’t waste anytime getting right to the core.

Ruby doesn’t lose any of her relaxed features, the years of “playing lawyer” gives her the advantage to look like an innocent virgin. “At some point I realized I wanted a baby, but no, we didn’t plan this pregnancy. We had just lost a son a few weeks ago. This just sort of happened” She tells them, her voice solid and steady.

MetaCouncil President, Rufus Turner, points at Sam and asks, “Dr. Winchester, did you plan this pregnancy?”

Oh, that beautiful baby face, with his huge, puppy eyes comes in handy when he replies, “No, Sir. We didn’t plan to get pregnant. Neither this time or the first.”

The members of the Council look at them, they confer amongst themselves for a few moments, then continue with their questions. They pretty much receive the same answer, always a variation of the very simple, “No, we don’t know anything about it.” It’s the one and only lie they plan to tell.

“Dr. Winchester, this is highly unorthodox. You obviously have an agenda, you are deceiving this Council with lies. All in order to keep your Meta Status. It should go without saying, that we don’t appreciate it, you should know better than to treat us like that.” The eldest member of the Council states.

“Sir, that is untrue. For one, we are not lying, and two, I don’t need any of the Meta benefits. I don’t live for that. I enjoy having the Meta privileges as much as any other, but the only thing in my life that is vital and irreplaceable is my family, my mate and my unborn child. You can have the house back, the job privileges, and the money. I don’t want any of that if it means I have to give up my mate, and my baby.” Sam’s voice beginning to crack, “You can keep all the luxury and the perks of my designation, I don’t want them, it doesn’t mean anything without my mate. She is my mate, there’s no doubt about it. I would die without her, no Omega or other Beta could take her place, there’s nobody else in the world for me.” Sam grabs Ruby’s hand”  We were so sad when we lost our baby, we still are, and we couldn’t think of anything, ESPECIALLY having a new one so soon. It’s happened though, and now I’m the happiest man in the world.” a single tear runs down Sam’s cheek, as he finishes his emotionally intense speech. He instantly begins to feel better when Ruby squeezes his hand.

The moment Ruby begins to talk her face turns stone cold, she speaks more as an attorney, instead of a woman on trial. She rubs her thumb over Sam’s fingers and begins.

“I attended the best schools in the country, and always graduated top of my class. My parents have always had money, I don’t need the Meta money to survive or live with dignity. We don’t need this.” She turns to look at Sam and her face softens, smiling with the corner of her lips, just for a moment though before returning to her “lawyer face”, “I was educated as a Beta, but I have an Alpha brother, and an Omega sister, so I grew up learning about all designations. I’ve always known about mating. Both my siblings have found their mates, so I know what it’s like. There’s an invisible thread that joins you to the other person, a string that only death can cut. Even then, it’s never truly severed. You can accuse us of trying to deceive you for money all you want, but we don’t need your money. Money can be earned, jobs can be found, houses, cars, all of it can be bought. You can’t buy a mate though. I realize you big Council Metas just don’t understand a bond between a MetaAlpha and a Beta, but I got news for you, gentlemen, I’m not a regular Beta. I’m a whole different kind of designation. Some call us Gamma, and your Council  has chosen to ignore us because you have no proof. Or maybe it’s because it scares you. We are a new kind of designation you should be exploring. I know you don’t believe me, I can read your mind’s eyeshim. I would just die rolling. You think I’m just a hopeless little Beta trying to be more than who she is, some worthless human being that is desperately trying to save her marriage. I say, TEST ME. Do whatever you need to do. I won’t give up on my husband. You can keep everything, I will even sacrifice my career, I’ll present my resignation to the bar association if that’s what it takes to stay with him. I would just die without Sam. Just try to separate us.” She tells a stunned council, and equally stunned courtroom. If Sam thought his speech was emotional for him, Ruby definitely showed him up.

When Ruby has finished talking, the room is silent. She mentally kicks herself for even mentioning her abilities, and prays that they don’t take her seriously. Anyway, it’s done and there’s nothing she can do about it. She keeps her head high, even when she feels like crying, afraid of having messed everything up, and yet she’s still so angry at them. These people that play God, and think they get to decide other people’s life paths.

The courtroom goes nuts, no one is even trying to conceal the shock, even the Council seems lost. Of course the Gamma gender designation is something everyone keeps whispering about, nobody really believes it. Still a rumor, if proven would win more adept designations every day. The New Order Government had refused to give any kind of statements on the matter so far. The Meta Council saw the chance for a solid launch of their political career, and they’d doubtfully say no to that. Acknowledging the possibility of a new designation, and being the first ones to officially send one to test, and even better, having a Gamma in their hands bearing a MetaBaby… well, it can’t get any better.

“The court will enter a recess of ten minutes to deliberate over this new information, please remain in your seats.” A Council member orders. Then their microphones are turned off, and the three Meta Council members get together and start whispering among themselves. Their body language is obvious, they’re arguing about the pros and cons of what they’re about to do.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Sam remain hand in hand, and she doesn’t dare look at her Uncles. She can hear Uncle Chuck cursing in his mind, and Uncle Carver amusingly picturing the Meta Council agreeing to anything they want, as long as they get the chance to have their names go down in history by being the first ones to approve the tests to ‘discover’ the new designation. The old shark. She loves him.

The Council goes back to their places once more, and turn their mics on. MetaCouncil President Turner speaks for the group and says, “Well, if this happens to be true it’ll change everything, not only this process, but also the whole designation pyramid.”   

Ruby turns to look Sam in the eyes, and her stone cold face falls, showing her true feelings. All the love she feels for him, all the strength they get from one another, hell, you can even feel it in the air. On the benches, Dean and Cas are entangled in a hug, and Dean’s hand is on Charlie’s shoulder. You could say none of the Winchester extended family is breathing right now.

“Ruby Shurley Winchester, you will be tested today, and we will have to wait for the results to have a resolution. For the time being you can continue with your life as it is. There is a MetaAlpha baby on the way, after all, and the primary objective of this Council is to protect new MetaAlphas.” President Turner tells them. Sam and Ruby crash into each other’s arms, “Dr. Winchester, we hold you responsible to keep this baby safe. You get to keep your Meta status, and marriage, for now. Mrs. Winchester, you are banned from all work related activity, and that’s non-negotiable, you disobey, and you’ll lose it all and end up in jail.” The Council president also talks to Ruby’s Uncles. “You should advise your client to think twice before putting another Meta baby in danger, we are not joking.”

“Mrs. Winchester, please follow the nurse, there’s an ambulance waiting to take you to the hospital to get the tests done. Dr. Winchester, you may go with her. The rest of the court is dismissed until the results are available. You’ll be notified. Good afternoon.” President Turner finishes.

As soon as the Council is out of the room, the family burst in laughter and cheers. They hug each other and breathe, relaxed at last.

“Ruby, what the Hell, woman?” Dean asks her as he’s breaking the hug.

“Ruby, what were you thinking?” Chuck asks drily.

“I wasn’t, Uncle.” She says, honestly, “It just came out, and once I started, I just couldn’t stop anymore!” She tries to apologize.

“Don’t pick on the girl, Chuck. In my opinion, Rubs, you did great there. The Gamma thing will seal the deal, provided you really are a Gamma. You guys, will be the first documented Meta-Gamma mating.” He tells them, as he points to the nurse waiting for Ruby, “You’ll be studied, of course, but you’ll be famous, and get your names in the history books. Oh, dear girl, this is going to be huge!” Carver exclaims, and he hugs her tight and whispers on her ear, “Don’t worry, they won’t separate their Guinea pig couple.” He winks as he breaks the hug.

Chuck is the last one to hug her, “Uncle Carver is right, baby girl, wait until your mom to find out.” And then, he says loud enough for everyone to hear, “We’re all part of the ‘let’s-get-Ruby-to-do-as-she’s-told-and-stay-home’ team. So you, young girl, stay home, watch TV, eat healthy, Sam’s a food freak, and Castiel is a chef, I think we’ve got you covered. So you will stay away from the firm, your only job from now on is to take care of your son.” He tells her, matter of factly.

“Can she still help me with the wedding?” Cas asks from the back.

“As long as she rests, there won’t be any problem. She can handle phone calls, and sporadic trips to the store, that’s it. The future of your family lies in your hands, Rubs. Think of it like this, seven months of sucking it up in exchange for a lifetime with your mate. I’ll take care of Castiel’s case, he’s gonna be okay.” Carver kisses her in the cheek and whispers “We’ll find this Alfie guy and resolve this whole mess. You just relax and rest.”

Chuck nods towards the nurse again and says, “You better get going, darling, there’s a needle with your name on it…”

 


	36. One in a Million

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are so so so so soooooooooooooo sorry for the lack of posting. We lost our beta. She was ill for a while and then went MIA. We tried to find another one and there were no results. Find one who didn't suit us and then find another recently.  
> We promise to try to keep on track again. I hope this chapter keep up to your standards.  
> We love you and your kudos and comments and we want to thank you for staying with us all this time.

_If I could be the light_

__  
To guide you through the darkness baby  
  
If I could be the one  
  
To change the ending to your story   
  
I`d be one in a million

 

* * *

 

 

“I don’t care, Gabe, I just don’t care. I don’t want a bachelor party so if you insist on throwing one it’ll have to be a joint party, that’s final!” Castiel says seriously.

“Oh, C’mon Cassie! That’s as far away from fun as it can get!” Gabe complains.

“Definitely not as fun as it should be,” states Balthazar in an exasperating tone, from the back of the room.

“Well, sorry to ruin your party-hard plans, but I am the one getting married and I say it’s that or nothing. So suck it up or forget it.”

Castiel’s shocked; he’s never been this rude with his brother. Well, rude by his standards that’s it. The only important thing is that he’s not having his bachelor party without his fiancé.

“We can always go with the boys, Jo and Ruby to the Restaurant; have some steaks and beer, laugh and chat” Cas shrugs as if it’s no big deal.

“Right, like that’s gonna happen. NO WAY, JOSÉ! You don’t get to plan your own bachelor party, you fool,” Gabe amusedly says, rolling his eyes.

“It’s bad enough that Big Bad Alpha is gonna be there, but that’s it, Cassie! No women allowed, not even my Jo! WE will plan the party; me and Baz together with Sam and some friends. You just wait and see,” Gabe smirks.

Cas shakes his head and mutters, “Oh, God, that can’t be good.”

Balthazar laughs and reassures him, “I’ll be there. Cassie, I can tame him, you know that!” Balthazar then turns and sneers at Gabe.

“And by the way… YOUR Jo? What’s with that?” But Gabe won’t say a word, he plays dumb and Cas refrains a grin.

* * *

 

Dean and Cas are a little afraid (ok make that terrified) that Gabe is part of the planning . . . so that can only spell trouble. Yet, Balthazar had promised to keep him under control and Castiel trusts him.

They were taken to Mark’s restaurant with stupid frilly coconut drinks, as Dean so kindly put. While Dean is still muttering over the drinks, Castiel takes in the decorations. . . it’s a bit much, for the both of them. Gabe has turned the restaurant into a Luau, fortunately they have decided not to go for the big hole with the cooking pork but still… there are coconuts with little umbrellas, hula girls and boys, palm leaves hanging everywhere.

Cas looks at Dean apologetically but the Alpha shrugs and smiles at him. Hey! At least there are burgers; made with veal, venison, pork and crab. Castiel has to remind him that there’s probably also pie for dessert, because he just knows Dean is gonna try at least one of each and then Cas is gonna be the one to deal with his stomach ache all night. The menu was Castiel’s request, of course. He loves the way Dean’s face shines at the sight of his favorite foods, and when they reach the moment of pie… oh boy. There are all kind of pies; apple, pecan, chocolate, coconut. It’s a cornucopia of pies, and Dean is in food heaven. And Dean’s smile is Cas’ heaven so he’s happy too. To Cas this night is about Dean; even the whiskey and beer are Dean’s favorite.

As the burgers and spicy fries keep coming they all chat and laugh. Sam embarrasses Dean with stories about college and life on the road. Gabe and Baz share stories about Cas and his childhood clumsiness. Cas friends tell stories about their time together at the culinary school and Dean’s friends about high school. Dean is happy that Tom and his two other school pals were able to make it to his wedding. Then they start talking about track team and road trips, and Dean’s mind goes numb.

Daniel, Dean’s track team partner and a year Dean’s junior, suddenly asks if they remember the cross country team road trip. Dean chokes on his beer, and Castiel pats his back trying to ease the fluid’s passage. Sam and Tom take the cue and try to change the subject, quickly conjuring happy memories of Lisa, but it’s too late. The rest of the party want to know more about the fucking road trip.

Sam and Tom give in, and Dean starts praying to all the Gods, old and new.

“So it’s me, Dean and the rest of the team. First time at a bar for us all, so of course they wouldn’t serve us any alcohol, which sucked big time. We just ordered our food and fifteen minutes later we’re on the bus.”

Daniel then turns to Dean, “Now this is where it gets weird. You were all feverish, sweat all over, and a thoughtful expression I’ve never seen before on your face. Nobody knew what had happened to you, and you wouldn’t tell anyone.”

Then he directs his speech to the others, “Our coach had to go and find him at the bar because he wouldn’t come and we needed to go; the school doctor said he suffered from food poisoning but we just knew it wasn’t true because we had all eaten exactly the same food.”

Dean pours another measure of whiskey and focuses on it to avoid eye contact with Castiel feeling like a jerk for accepting his hand on his back. Caressing him with so much love while he still holds a secret.  Sam, on the other hand, purposely looks at Cas but sees nothing strange, no sign of recognition, only polite interest in Daniel’s story.

“After a while you just fell asleep but your skin smelled funny, because of the fever they said. When we came home you skipped school for two days and never mention it again, which was even weirder.”

Dean says nothing but looks at Tom, practically praying for a diversion, something to take him out of this mess, and, bless him, Tom understands.    

“C’’mon, Daniel, I was there and it was nothing. Food poisoning for sure, you remember his face? He was in pain, dude! The doctor gave him some medicine and ordered him to rest for a couple of days and then he was as good as new”

Dean stays out of the conversation, smiling at everyone and nodding at the right moments. All he can think of is ‘It’s time, I can’t procrastinate it any longer. I’ll have to tell Cas.’ The truth is he did try. Several times in fact, but every time he was about to begin he chickened out; it was too damned painful. They’ve lost twelve years of mating, Cas suffered for twelve years for that reason. He understands it’s not really his fault but he finds the guilt hard to ignore.

Tom toasts on the old days and the atmosphere lightens up right after.

Gabriel goes to his jacket, which is hanging on the wall, and pulls out a set of cards.

“Okay, gentlemen! Before our groom bursts or we lose him to the pies, I say POKER! No, no money, my friends! I was thinking in exchanging favors. Gabriel then puts a hand on his hip, and waves the hand holding the cards in the air.

“Now I was thinking, you know, the usual. Dinners at your restaurants, stock tips, legal tips, well… you get the picture. I, for example, want a big fancy dinner at Matt’s and probably a favor or two from the big Meta Doctor here. No, people, no need to call the cops, all legal, I promise. SO! Get a piece of paper and write down what you can offer; it’s gonna be an interesting poker game!”

  
Dean squares his shoulders and sits a bit more stiff, Castiel, of course, notices. “Are you okay, Love?” He whispers into his fiancé ear, “Aren’t you enjoying this?”

Dean turns his head to face Castiel, smiling softly, “Oh, Babe, this is perfect. I just hope the hula girls won’t start stripping, that’s all” he jokes,

“It’s just that I wanna play, but I don’t have too much to offer.”

Castiel cups Dean’s face and, in a very low voice so not to embarrass his mate in front of the whole party, he says, “Dean Ross Winchester, you play guitar and sing like the gods, you are an amazing mechanic, your car is incredible…”

“NO!” Dean cuts him off, “Baby is off limits!” He crooks an eyebrow and squints a bit, as if to measure if Cas is serious or not.

Castiel huffs a laugh, “I’m not saying you put her on the table, you silly, but you could drive them once or twice,  you know. Hat on and all that.  Actually, I’d like to see that, maybe I could drive shotgun and be your sousffer. Castiel states with a wink.

“And, you know, maybe handle the shift after we left our ride. Oh yes! That would be sooooooo nice.” The sound of his voice sending shivers down to Dean’s spine.

“Uhm Babe, I don’t think I’ll be able to continue with this if you insist in talking to me like that. You know how much I love it” Castiel laughs and gives Dean a chaste kiss, that slowly starts to deepen.

“Get a room!” someone shouts.

“We already have one… you just happen to be in it too” Dean teases.

“Oi! This is MY place!” Mark plays offended.

“Says who?” Cas shoots back.

They continue with the banter while the poker game begins. By the end of it they all have collected at least one favor from each other, except Gabriel who smirks while gathering his immense pile of winnings off the table.

Daniel, the travel agent, bet a trip to Baja and Dean fought with tooth and nails for it but Baz won it quite easily. Dean won a dinner at Matt’s and Castiel a stock tip from his brother.

At a booze break, Baz approaches Cas, taps his back and winks, “Wanna trade, Cassie? I hate Baja.”

“What? But you don’t need stock tips, Gabe tells you what to buy on a daily basis,  not that you listen to him anyway.”

“I know,I just wanna have something to trade with him when I really need something. C’mon, let’s trade, baby bro”

“Love, guess what? We’ve got our honeymoon,” Cas says, bumping his shoulder against Dean’s.

“What? How?” Dean says confused, more from the whiskey than Castiel’s statement.

Cas grabs him by the waist, bringing him closer, “Baz decided to trade favors with me. I think he wants something to eventually blackmail Gabe with. Yeah, don’t ask, I don’t get it either,” Cas shrugs.

Dean smirks, “Babe I think, that Baz wanted to give us a honeymoon but he just knew we’d say no, so he’s disguising it as a favor trade. He’s a good big bro, the bastard.”

“Hey, you two! Get over here, you’re gonna give us diabetes with your cheesiness and plus… you’re not getting any pie!” Baz calls.

“You’re all jealous because my mate is gorgeous, and if you touch that pie I’ll punch you in your sorry face!” Dean laughs out.

So it’s pie and whiskey time. Some cigars are lit and Dean cannot help but to feel that life is good; Ben is finally a Winchester, Sam’s closer to him than he has been in years, he found his mate at long last, and they all live together in a big noisy house. Dean is happy.

Cas squints as if to wonder what’s with his thoughtful eyes, probably assuming it’s just the beer. Dean forms a dreamy smile on his lips and leans to kiss Cas once again. They soon feel a rain of napkins thrown over their heads.

Life is definitely awesome.

* * *

 

It’s 4AM and Dean is holding Castiel close. They’re enjoying all there is to the after sex bliss and now the Alpha knows it’s time. There’s no point in waiting, it’s now or never. He can’t stand to think of confessing after getting married, it wouldn’t be fair to his mate. He watches Cas as he snores softly against his chest, his skin soft and beautiful against his own.

‘Man up, Winchester, you love him’ Dean encourages himself, ‘and he loves you.’

“Babe, you awake?” Dean almost whispers, drawing patterns into Castiel’s back with his finger.

“Uhmmm maybe”, Cas moans refusing to move from the cocoon of Dean’s arms.

“C’mon Babe, there’s something I need to tell you” Dean’s voice just a tiny bit louder and firmer now. He’s not gonna chicken out. He said he’s not!

“Mmmmhhh really?... ‘kay” Cas muffled voice sound against Dean’s chest.

“Remember when we realized we had gone to the same field trip back in high school?” Cas makes an affirmative sound so Dean goes on, “Well, I know now what had happened to me on that trip. I talked to Sam and Tom a few weeks ago and I…I… I…” shit! He can’t say it!

That’s all that takes to get Cas fully awake. “What, Love? What happened?” he says lifting his head a little to watch Dean in the eyes.

“I’m sorry, Babe, I should have said something sooner” his voice trembling, “But everything got in the way”

Cas untangles from Dean’s arms and turns to face him.

“What love? What happened?” Dean is as serious as Castiel has ever seen him.

“I’m sorry, I should have… I was… that day… I… Oh, I’m so sorry, Babe. You have to believe me”

“Dean Ross Winchester, stop rambling and talk to me now! You’re frightening me!” Cas can feel his eyes beginning to well.

Dean closes his eyes for a second, takes a deep breath and knows he can’t go back. This is it; whether their relationship grows stronger or dies tonight, he’s gonna find out now. Hell, that’s not really reassuring.

“What Daniel told tonight; about the fever and the smell and everything else was my body’s reaction to mating… I asked Sam and Tom about their reactions to mating and they both said the same… it was exactly what I felt back then… but I was too young and my dad had never explained anything to me, I knew literally nothing about life, Cas; all of a sudden I was a big bad Alpha who dated chicks and had tons of sex so those eyes that had captured me that night were relegated to a little box inside my heart. Because those eyes stayed with me ever since. The moment I saw him I knew something had happened between him and me, even when I only saw him for a moment at that bar. And I waited that night at the bar, I waited for as long as I could because I knew I had to do something about it, I waited, Babe, but he never came out of the bathroom” Cas eyes widening more at every word, “But I was 17 and I was not allowed to wait any longer, I had to go back to the bus and I only got worse. The trip back was hell, I was feverish and I felt a hole carved in my soul, a hole that only got bigger with the years; ever since I’ve felt incomplete. Back home I continued to feel sick, just like in the trip back to Lawrence, the fever got worse and the doctor gave me something and nobody told me anything; three days after I felt suddenly better, I asked my dad but he told me not to be a baby so I dropped it. But it never mattered how many girls I slept with, how manage to convince myself that everything was alright… those blue eyes and the hole in my soul remained,  they were always in my dreams, the dreams that would make me feel relaxed and full until I’d wake up and feel empty again. It was your eyes, Cas, always your eyes… it was you, Babe, you were the one I mated that day… I’m sorry it took me almost twelve years to find you, I’m sorry we spent twelve years apart… and I’m sorry… so so sorry… I should have insisted, I should have made my teacher to understand… I should have followed you into the bathroom… I should have looked for you harder over the years… Cas, my love, I’m so sorry…” Dean cannot hold the tears anymore. A hundred tears for a year they spend apart. Every tear for every night Cas cried himself to sleep. Tears for the weight in his chest. But most of all, tears for the deadpan in his mate’s face. Tears because he sees there a chance that he could lose him; and he can’t… he can’t because Cas is his life, Dean would die without him, “Cas please say something. Cas, please.”

‘Am I in shock?’ Castiel wonders? He knows he’s supposed to react somehow at such a revelation, yet all he can do is stare.

“Me… it was me… I was… it was you. You were those freckles and green eyes. MY Alpha… my mate. You, it was you, just you… always you.” Castiel covers Dean with his arms, guiding his mate’s face to lean against his chest, for his Alpha to hear-- to feel the beating of his heart, because that’s what a good Omega should do. Calm his Alpha down, to take away the stress and pain. To make him feel belonged.

“It’s okay, Love, you couldn’t have known. Those twelve years are not your fault. We weren’t ready anyway. Just calm down, please.” Dean tightens his hold on Castiel, and even though Castiel felt like he couldn’t breath, Castiel’s embrace is equally tight. Maybe tighter than he meant. The tone of his voice is flat and dead as he stares over Dean’s shoulder.

Dean is too tired and too stressed to notice any of it, he just sighs deeply, sobbing and trembling, and pecks Cas in the lips. They eventually fall asleep limbs entangled like octopus tentacles.

* * *

 

“Morning, Ruby. Do you have five minutes?”

Cas’ tone and general seriousness worry Ruby right away. Ruby had thought that the party had went well. Sam had come completely drunk from the bachelor party and told her that his brother and Castiel were making out in the back of his car and that he’d kill them, in three days’ time, when his hangover was gone.

Ruby decides to take the safe path and joke, “sure, Cassie. What’s with the face, dude! Still hungover?”

“No, not really. It’s just that… well, everything and nothing happened last night after we came back” Cas trails off for a moment, not sure of how to continue. Ruby is confused by the statement, but she gives him time to put his thoughts together. She watches him struggle, sigh and then speak again, “Dean told me a story about us mating twelve years ago…. and I think it’s all probably true.”

“What?… Cassie, why would he lie? Do you have any reason not to believe him?”

“No. I don’t. But… it’s so crazy and so soap-operish” he wrinkles his nose, showing a bit of his upper teeth. It would have been a funny face if his eyes were not so sad.

Ruby goes close to him, looks up to meet his eyes and squeezes his arm, holding up to him a cup of coffee with the other. “I know, Cassie, I know”

Cas stiffs and starts to bring the coffee cup to his lips then stops and squints, “You know?”

“Well, yes, Cassie. Mind reading, remember?” Ruby says touching her temple and sipping her coffee. “Also, Sam is my mate and we have no secrets, and I mean no secrets whatsoever”

“Oh, of course. He told Sam, shit he told the whole fucking city before telling me!” To Castiel this just added to the betrayal that he felt.

“No, not quite, but Sam can put two and two together. AND there is the mind reading. . . But I still don’t get why you’re all stressed about it? Hey is there something I can do to help Cassie?” her tone a bit more worried than before.

“Well, I dunno Ruby? Can your Gamma powers bring back to me the twelve years of my life that I LOST waiting for something I had already found?” he knows that he sounds harsh and bitter; shit, he knows he gonna regret it later, but right now he can’t help it.

“Because! Ruby, I lost twelve years of happiness with my mate! AND he not only fucked half Kansas State and a good part of the country but also has a kid with another person!” His voice cracked a little and he hated himself for it, “Because I felt miserable for over the past decade and this sucks! I can’t… I… I just can’t! And-and-and on top of that he kept this from me… he only came clean because his friend talked at the party”

Castiel does not fight the tears anymore, his anger is beyond himself! He hadn’t been this mad, not even when Dean escaped to Sioux Falls. Ruby has never seen him like this. She didn’t even see him cry when his own brothers went against him in court.

“Cassie, stop… calm down, please. Think for a moment, my friend.” Ruby takes his hand and almost drags him to sit by the kitchen counter, taking the seat in front of him, “Listen, can you rewind twelve years back and stand in that bar, can you go back and walk towards those green eyes and freckles instead of locking yourself in the bathroom? Answer me, can you?” Cas, all serious, shakes his head, “No, of course you can’t; life goes on and yours finally comes to the right path… stop mortifying yourself for things you can’t change… the road has been hard and little bumpy but he finally came to you; and let me tell you that for someone like Dean, the old Dean, what he’s done in the past few months was tough; imagine yourself in his position, Cas… what would you have done?”

Cas does not answer at once, he takes a moment to ponder whether, if the roles had been the other way around… for how long would he have waited before letting his coach take him back home? What if… yes, he can see it now; yet it’s hard not to feel cheated.

“I don’t know, Ruru, I don’t kow… I’ve felt incomplete my whole life… I felt I was missing something, like I had a hole in my very core. And I had, only my mate could fill it, I was missing my mate… all these years. How can I not be pissed?”

“I understand, baby… but you have to move on… you are happy now, like really happy. Right now you’re in a relationship that makes you whole, and Cas, he loves you… he loves you so much one can tell by just the way he shines when you walk in the room. Why wasting it? Why not to be thankful of this second chance that life is presenting you with?”

For the second time this morning Cas stops to think, to look for clues to help him decide his way of action. He wants to be happy and he knows Dean loves him now, even when it took him twelve years to find him again. So, why not? What’s so much to think about? Hell, he loves Dean to death. “I guess you’re right, Ruru… probably”

“Pff, bitch, of course I’m right; I’m Ruby Fucking Winchester. I’m always right”

Cas laughs, just like Ruby expected him to when she made the joke. She’s becoming more herself every day that goes by, and after so much pain, it’s a relief to see her in good moods. Cas grabs her hands and kisses them both, smiling at her, his eyes slowly losing the shine of the salt wells. He jumps from the stool.

“I think I’ll head to the bedroom now. There’s a conversation I should have with my fiancé. Time to put this entire thing behind”

“Yeah! You go and do that. I’ll make breakfast, and HEY! No knotting! You hear me? No knotting… I’m starving… save the honeymoon rehearsal for later!” she shouts as Castiel runs upstairs laughing.

* * *

 

“Love” Castiel whispers in Dean’s ear. Dean purrs and rolls over, his arm hooking around Castiel’s waist and capturing his lower lip with his mouth kissing him tenderly for a little while.

Dean’s certain he will never get tired of this. From the very moment his lips touch Castiel’s. He wants to be like this forever; to stay there is all he wants; to stay locked inside him and pressing their lips together, breathing into each other’s mouths.

“Love,” Castiel tries to get away from Dean’s mouth, not quite convinced, “Seriously, Love, I want to say something”

“MMMnah, later. I’m busy” Dean continues teasing and savoring him.

Castiel gives in and leans into the kiss for a moment. Cas is finding it hard to fight the warmth and comfort. He manages to barely separate the kiss, leaving room enough to talk, “Love, would you let me apologize?”

“Nope! I’m busy, told ya,” Dean tilts his head and sucks little bruises on Castiel’s neck, making him crook his head to give him better access.

“I… uhm, I want to talk about last night. Dean… I… god, stop please! Love, I want to say I’m sorry,” but he gives him more access, allowing Dean’s fingers to slowly move up his neck and through his hair.

“I was… uhn. . . well, still am mad at the universe for take us apart for so long.”

“I. Don’t. Care!” Dean punctuates every word with a kiss on Cas’ face,

“The. Fucking. Universe. Can. Bite. Me. Or. Maybe you could?” Dean cups Cas face in his hands, winks and raises both eyebrows inviting.

“Tempting as it is, Winchester, I can’t” Cas feels his chest free of the weight he’s been feeling since last night revelation, “Ruby is making breakfast and she said, and I quote: ‘No knotting… I’m starving, save the honeymoon rehearsal for later!”

“Oh, the little sister is a cock blocker! I hate her,” Dean says with a pout.

“No, you don’t. Now, back to what I wanted to say. I should have reacted better” Dean is not sure of what he’s talking about.

“You probably didn’t realize it last night, with all the booze and the sex we had, but last night I was pretty pissed at the universe and at you, for keeping it from me.” Dean is about to protest, but Cas holds his hand over his mouth.

“Please, let me finish. I understand now it’s not your fault, it took me a while to understand the whole situation and this morning the little cock blocker made me realize I would have probably ended up doing exactly the same thing you did back then” Cas lays his forehead against Dean’s and they remain like that for a minute, two men lost is their own thoughts and memories but the mating bond is so strong that getting back to the present, their shared present, is not hard.

“Okay, Love. Get up and get dressed. Breakfast is waiting” he says attempting to get up himself.

“Nope! I don’t wanna go.” Dean pulls Castiel’s wrist trying to make his fiancé lie back down.

“I said no! Get up, now. We have our whole lives to do this. Breakfast. Now!” Cas hits Dean in the face with a pillow and goes to get a T-shirt and sweatpants for Dean to get up.

“Oh fuck, okay, okay… I’ll get up.” He sits on the bed and sighs, “And, Babe… I’m sorry it took me this long to tell you, I just didn’t know how.”

“It’s okay now. Love,” Cas interrupts him, leaning in for one more kiss before going downstairs.

“Oh for fucks sake this is sooooooooooooo boring!” Ruby is sat on the couch in front of the TV, leans back her head and shouts at the ceiling, “Somebody please KILL MEEEE!”

It’s been a week and nobody lets her do anything around the house but to talk on the phone to order groceries and helping organize the wedding and watch TV. So she’s been there for a week watching Doctor Who to please Sammy, Grimm to please Dean and Sherlock BBC to please Cassie and she loves all their shows but she’s tired of watching TV and reading and just vegetate there… doing nothing productive at all; hell, they won’t even let her do the dishes… at least she could still cook… as long as she does all the preparation seated. All the care, all the control makes her feel useless, empty.

Of course she helps Cas with his wedding plan but silly guy wants a really small wedding so there’s not much to be done. Two of Cassie’s friends are planning the catering, Charlie is in charge of the cake and pies. The whole property is being cleaned and the cleaning controlled by Sally, and watching her bark orders was fun for a while; even the tent is ready to be set.

On top of everything, Cas and Dean are locked in the guest house for the next three days so even tea with her friend is out of the question. She’s alone with nobody to talk to but Sally and she’s busy most of the day supervising the cleaning and gardening. Sam comes in the afternoon, of course, and sometimes even Jo pities her and stays for a while in between classes and work and Gabe, but she can never stay for too long.

Oh God, somebody kill her, how is she gonna make it for the next seven months? Ruby doesn’t think… no, she knows she won’t cope with it.

* * *

 

“Well, last heat as single men” Dean kisses Cas temple.

“Haven’t been single since May 2nd, Love” Cas corrects him.

“I’d say you were taken since May 5th, to be exact” the Alpha licks Cas’ neck.

Cas grabs Dean’s hair in a fist to make him pay attention and look at him in the eyes, tilts his head, squints his eyes and deadpans, “Stop talking about dates and fuck me already”

Shit, Cas is so hot. Dean lifts himself on top of him, kisses his lips for just a second and spins him around, chest with back, both of them on their sides. Dean sets air kisses on Cas’ neck, holds him tight in position with one hand and with the other strokes his mate’s shaft a little too slowly.

Dean makes a show of his control, he needs this to last… he can do it; he positively can do it even when Cas’ body heat and smell makes him nuts. On every heat his inner beast threatens to surface and take control, rip and bite till the skin is broken… claim his mate with blood.

NO.

He won’t surrender to instinct. Castiel deserves better; because, pheromones be damned, he loves the man. And love is stronger than mating… well, in reality it’s not, but Dean chooses to think it is. Cas deserves to be loved beyond his designation, and Dean is willing to give him that.

But biology is not easily fooled, and Cas can’t control himself, so many years spending his heat alone and sad, feeling useless and dumb. Now he’s got his mate and he won’t be stopped from actually enjoying his heats.

“Dean, please… it’s not time for this… I love you and I love you stroking me but if you don’t fuck me right this second I’m gonna turn you over and make you cry” hisses.

Dean smiles against his neck, bites him playfully… this is a play they both enjoy by now… he bites a bit harder, sucking lightly as he enters two fingers into Cas and the Omega moans and rocks into them.

“Dean… god, Dean it’s not enough…” Cas hisses, rocking backwards really hard. Dean enters two more fingers, scissors them, accompanying every thrust with a bite on Cas back.

Dean’s dick hurts, he doesn’t allow himself to touch it because, as much as he trusts his instincts control… he doesn’t trust little Dean’s ones. “Dean please… please…” and that’s it… Dean can’t wait anymore.

He switches Cas position to be on all fours, he knows it’s not the time for being gentle and caressing; so, grabbing his hips so tightly that Cas just knows he’s gonna leave a mark (and he loves it), he teases the tip of his cock over Cas pink and needy hole. He enters just the tip and holds it, it’s not easy, because what he wants to do is actually shove it all in and stay there forever. Cas groans. And that’s it; Dean enters with force, almost brutal, bottoming out and leaning forwards onto Cas to bite his shoulder blade, licking afterwards and kissing the area; he licks his way up to Cas neck and smiles at the sight of Cas’ hands gripping the sheets almost to the point of tearing it. His mate pushes back against his dick until he feels Dean’s balls against his hole, lifts his head, turns it to take a glimpse of those beautiful green eyes he loves so much and kisses him, despite the weird angle; “Dean Ross you move NOW” he whispers against Dean’s lips.

Dean smiles wide and darts out his tongue to lick Cas lips and pushes himself up with the intention to rocky Cas slowly into cumming, but the air around them is thick with need and urgency, floating around and embracing him. So Dean moves; he moves like possessed, pumping harder with every thrust, faster and faster. Moaning and panting, Cas ups his hips so Dean can hit harder and deeper, he’s getting close, he needs the knot… he needs to feel his mate’s seed filling him up and the knot stretching his insides. Dean needs to feel him too, so he tries to take Cas’ dick but Cas won’t let him.

“Not yet, Love” Cas says, “I need you, I need your knot NOW!” and that’s all Dean needs to hear; he let’s go of Cas’ cock, grabbing him by the hips again, Dean pushes in forcefully and knots him with a groan that sounds like his mate’s name, barely a grunt, orgasm too overwhelming to properly form a word or a thought. Dean continues to groan as Cas rocks into his fingers, slightly touching himself, waiting for his lover to come down from the heights.

Dean knows Cas isn’t over and the thought of it only gets him to the edge of a new orgasm, he replaces Cas hand on his dick and strokes it while rocking him from behind, moving inside just a few millimeters in and out, only the length that the knot allows him to. His hand along the shaft, twisting, squeezing, making Castiel moan and wail, “Oh yes… yes; God, Dean, so perfect… so… good” the last word a whisper as he comes hard and high.

He passes out, crashing on the bed, bringing Dean down with him. The Alpha continues to rock them, coming two more times, making Cas orgasm every time; God bless his prostate and his mate’s knot. Great team. Both men slowly coming back to life.

“That good?” Dean blows in Cas ear and continues to lick strips of flesh.

“Better. You better keep on doing that today. I’m avid of you, still hungry… feed me, please.”

Dean laughs and hugs him tighter; heat with a greedy, happy Cas is something they don’t get to have much of. Dean takes Cas’ shoulder with hank in a hook and begins rocking faster, still knotting Cas and this time they both orgasm together.

“Jesus, Cas, this is going to be a good one and you’ll kill me… not that I’m complaining”

They kiss whatever piece of skin they have available while waiting for the knot to recede, eventually entering in a post coital bliss induced nap.

About an hour later, Cas wakes up sore, filthy, and needy but happy all the same, “I’ll go and take a bath. Wanna come?” he whispers, kissing his mate’s ear lobe.

“Nnnnmmm, sleeping. Tired.” Cas laughs quietly.

“Fair enough, I’ll take care of my itch without you and then I’ll come back here and ride you like a horse… hope you’re ready for that…”

“Uhm you promise?” Dean teases back, barely cracking one eye open to see a pillow flying towards him.

Cas heads to the bathroom and, without looking back, “Or, you know, I could scratch that itch with one of my old toys” he loudly taunts.

“Still making promises you won’t keep, uh? This one, though, I think it would be a beautiful show to witness” Cas turns his head to catch the eagerness in Dean’s eyes.

“Well, there’s always a chance that I could find another Alpha… you know, one that would prefer fucking me to continue to sleep.” Cas banters lifting his left eyebrow.

“If I say I’m okay with that, will you let me watch?” Dean amusedly says.

“Gosh, Love.” Cas rolls his eyes fondly, “You are impossible. Get your ass over here, Dean, c’mon. I’m freezing”

“Yay!” Dean laughs while getting off the bed and running to the bathroom to join Cas, “I love you so much… I may be willing to try if you have any old toy around but I will never ever share you with ANYONE else.” Dean catches him by the waist and kisses his way from the crook of the neck towards his lips.

It is the first day of the heat so Cas still needs rough, fast sex. This time they start it all on the shower, standing up against the wall but they get so desperate that they decide to take it all back to the bed, as if afraid to fall in the shower and hurt themselves.

This time is harder and harsher, Cas already open and ready to receive his mate. They are both kneeling on the mattress, hands anchoring on the wall behind the bedframe; Cas back against Dean’s chest, moving together and finally coming hot and fast. This time they fall asleep even before the knot reduced its swelling.

Dean wakes up, calm after the nap but oh so hungry; hell, his stomach protests, he’s starving.

“Food” Dean growls.

“What?”, Cas asks, confused, lifting an eyebrow.

“Food” Dean repeats, eyes still closed and distractedly kissing Cas shoulder blades. “I’m fucking starving. I would eat a whole cow. That’s how hungry I am” kiss, “Feed me!” kiss.

“What? You’re Audrey now?” Cas laughs, “I mean, you’re not a plant from outer space that will overgrow and ask me to feed her with blood, right?”

“So, what now? You’re comparing me to Little shop of horrors’ monster now?” Dean pouts, “C’mon man, feed me!”

“I’ll feed you alright… once Mr. Big bad Alpha stands up and takes care of his Omega. Then, I’ll feed you” Cas points out.

“Cas… I can’t, I really can’t. Little Dean won’t cooperate” Dean says nodding at his tired cock. “Every muscle aches and I think you’ve worn him out. I think it needs a little rest, you know… but I know, dear, you can’t wait… we could… you know, try different things. I could suck you off or we could…” Dean trails off, blushing.

Cas looks at him in surprise, “You want to ask something and you think I might say no, don’t you?” Dean blushes redder, “I can only assume it has something to do with our previous conversation.” He ponders the chances for a second, “I can take both.”

Dean gasps, clears his throat, looks at him hesitant and excited, “You mean…”

“Means, Love, that I’m willing to use one of my toys if you are the one on the other end of it.”

“Oh shit, I can cope with that… yes-yes-yes!”

Cas shrugs like is no big deal, but smirking he adds, “And you can suck me off while at it”

Dean almost falls off the bed, entangled in the bedding; “Fuck yes, best heat ever!” he takes Cas by the shoulders.

“Shut your cake hole and kiss me” Dean is happy to comply, kissing for a few long minutes, “My toys are on the box, at the back of the closet. It reads “You touch-You die”, I was gonna label it Toys, but I thought it was kind of unsubtle, don’t you think?” Dean runs to get the box and Cas cannot help laughing at his willingness, “I’ll show you my favorite.”

* * *

 

“Good news from Court” Carver says over the phone, “They’ve set the date for the final audience for October 5th. You can stay there and married till that day. Also, the Gamma test results should be received today. Novak and Novak did not call so I assume they didn’t get it either. Keep me posted, okay?”

“I will, Uncle. Look, there’s someone at the door, I’ll call you back”

The mail is there, Sally went to pick it up and, right now, it’s set on the table by the door. She looks at it, she knows she should check it but she can’t force herself to take it. She’s scared, frighten of being right and get labeled as a Gamma, and she’s terrified of being wrong and be nothing more than a desperate Beta.

“Rubs?” Sam is coming down the stair. “Everything’s alright?”

“I’ve got mail” Ruby shows him the letter and Sam runs to her.

“Open it! What you’re waiting for?

“I  can’t, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said anything” she’s got ‘fear’ written all over her face, she’s fighting the tears, “I’m sorry, Sammy, no matter the result, it’s not gonna do us any good”

“Why, Ruby?” Sam is genuinely confused.

“Let me put it this way, baby. If it’s negative then I’m just another desperate Beta looking for a way out, and if it’s positive we’ll be guinea pigs and life as we know it, will come to an end. They’ll poke and disturb and do everything they want to study us… and our baby.”

“Or not. We’re not regular folks, Rubs. I’m a Doctor and you’re a lawyer. I’m a Meta and you’ll be a Gamma. We’ll be the first registered MetaAlpha/Gamma mate and Baby W. the fist MetaGamma baby resgistered ever. And yes, we’ll be the first ones, and yes, we will be tested and poked but we will control that. Let’s open it, love. Don’t be afraid, we’re together” Sam encourages her.

“Okay, but you do it” she hands him the letter.

Sam rips the envelope, reads the letter and looks at her wide eyes. “Go on, read it”

“NO, I just can’t. You read it to me, Sammy.”

Sam smiles and reads, “You are irrevocably, indisputably, 100%... perfect, incredible, awesome, mine… and a Gamma” Sam smiles shines with pride, “Ruby Shurley Winchester, you are the first one. My God, Ruby… my own miracle, my special one… only mine… but now the world will know and I’m so proud of you” Ruby smiles back at him, she loves him so much she could actually explode.

* * *

 

The wedding plans are set in motion and its progress is sharp and smooth. Dean doesn’t like fancy food so Cas will have the caterers serve corn on the cob, pig in the blankets and gumbo if that’s what takes to make Dean happy. So food is gonna be simple, earthy and delicious, barbecue meat, potatoes, salad and, of course, pie. Everything so Dean.

They have invited sixty five people, between friends and family, which is pretty much saying ‘family’ so service-family-style it is. No fancy plates or cutlery, no fancy table cloths; just big tables filled with family and friends.

Cas made it clear to his friends that they are not allowed to personally cook at the wedding, they can have everything done before the party itself, but the day of the wedding Cas wants them to enjoy themselves. Charlie knows that already, she knows better than to work in her best friend’s wedding. So, as far as Cas knows, his chefs friends will have their best employees doing the job onsite.

Ruby, on her side, forbids Cas and Dean from doing anything else but enjoy their great day, so only the tent area and going around the tables talking to the guests is allowed. No checking on the food, or on the music… nothing, but their moment.

Ellen, Bobby and Ash fly to California for the third time in six months. Even though they’re stay-at-home people they don’t complain for all the travelling. Sam’s paying for their tickets so that’s a plus, and Ellen misses her baby… but even if they’d have to pay for the flight themselves, they’d do it gladly. It’s Dean’s wedding, he’s getting married in love with his mate so there’s no way in Heaven or Hell they’re gonna miss the wedding.

* * *

 

It’s the day before the wedding and the night they’re supposed to have the rehearsal dinner, but since only the family is there and they’re supposed to have dinner anyway, Dean wouldn’t call it a reception rehearsal at all. Cas’ best man and her girlfriend are also there, Charlie and Meg.

Dean cooks Mary’s recipe, spaghetti and meatballs. Cas bakes Mary’s recipe too, apple pie with a twist of cinnamon caramel homemade ice-cream, bless his magical useless kitchen thingies.

Dessert time over, Ellen and Bobby are in a corner of the large table whispering at each other. Gabe and Jo are making out outside the patio glass door, trying to hide and oblivious of the world around them. Baz is chatting with Sam and Ruby about antiques. Charlie and Meg are slow dancing. Ash is immersed in his computer and nobody is upset because he’s made finding Alfie his own personal crusade. Ben is on the couch talking to Cas, trying to educate his step father in the perks of soccer. Dean stays at the kitchen door, looking at his family interact; a sense of pride invades him. He’s never been so happy.

Dean looks at Sam and nods almost imperceptibly and they hold a short Winchester eye-talk. Sam touches Ruby’s arm and nods; she speaks silent Winchester too, she’s fluent actually (the mind reading could be considered cheating, but none of them say a word).

“Everyone… please, people, listen up” Sam asks.

“THE ONES OUTSIDE TOO!!” Dean shouts. Jo lets go fast and enters followed shortly after by Gabe. They both have read and swollen lips. Her dress is a mess, hi hair too. Both of them try to comb their hair with the hands but they’re not fooling anyone.

Jo sits next to her mother, looking away, a bit embarrassed.

“Baby,… I like him. I’m happy for you” Ellen smiles at her daughter, “Gabe, come and sit next to your girlfriend” Ellen calls out to Gabe and says in a low voice, “We’ll talk about this later”

Gabe sits next to Jo and grabs her hand, the look in his eyes both terrifies and gives hope to Jo. She’ll have to deal with this later.

Sam clears his throat to get everybody’s attention, “I have something to say” he necks his drink and extends his hand to Ruby.

His wife stands up in front of her husband; Sam hugs her from behind and places a hand in her belly. Dean, Cas, Jo and Gabe smile. Ellen screams and stands up running to hug Ruby. All the rest look confused.

“Are we having a new baby in the house?” Ben asks innocently.

“Yes, we are, honey!” Ruby ruffles his hair and the kid laughs.

“Really Sammy? I’m so so so happy!” Ellen says wrapping the Meta couple in a big hug. Sammy looks at the rest of the family from Ellen’s shoulder, “We’re gonna be daddies again”.

That snaps them all from surprise and they go and congratulate them, hugging and laughing. Dean and Cas are a little tipsy and get Ruby in a single hug, one from each side, holding her close and making funny noises, “Guys, I actually need breathing to live… and you’ve known for a couple of days now” She says, patting their butts making them jolt and taking the chance to break from the two bears hug.

“Well, since we’re talking about great news…” Ellen says looking at Bobby, Dean and Cas take each other by their waists and smile, they already know. Ellen goes to Bobby and takes his hand, “After what it seems a life together, I finally….” She sighs, “I finally convinced him”

Sam looks confused, Ruby laughs out loud. “Oh, Ellen; Winchester men are tough. I know, Singer… don’t look at me like that! I know you’re not a Winchester, but you raised two… they couldn’t be more alike. Congratulations!” Bobby nods, smiling.

“Very nice of you all to be so happy about… WHAT?? Somebody say something!” Jo screams.

Ellen smiles, eyes watered. Cas and Dean already know, they’ve known ever since their trip to Sioux Falls; Sam is clueless and Ruby, well… you get the picture.

Ellen is too emotional, with Dean’s wedding, Sam’s baby and Jo’s boyfriend; she can’t find the words, so Bobby comes to help—ish. “I’m moving to Lawrence”

Sam opens his eyes wide and point at Ellen, “What? With her?”

“No, with Pastor Jim; of course with Ellen, you idjit.”

“Well, it was about damn time” Jo forgets to be politically correct in front of her mother, and Ellen for the first time doesn’t care.

Suddenly they’re all a mass of everybody’s arms around everybody.

“Alright! Alright! Quiet everyone!” Jo raises her hands to make them all look at her, “Since we’re all sharing good news… hey! Stop that!” she admonishes Ash who’s throwing bread crumps at her, “Better, SO, I decided what I want to major in” Gabe hold her hand.

Cas looks at him, he looks so whipped and doesn’t even notice; Cas chuckles behind his fist. It’s so good to see him like that, happy, after the mate disaster Gabe is finally happy again.

“So what is it, Auntie Jo?” Ben asks from the back.

“Thanks for asking, Ben. See? You should learn from the kid, he’s the only polite one here” she ruffles his hair and continues, “I want to be an Event planner. Not just weddings, but general events too. Dunno, maybe something like MTV awards… or even the Oscars” Gabe looks at her with loving eyes that no one seems to miss.

There they go, another toast and even more hugs.

By then Sam is a bit more than just a little tipsy and declares, “I’m going to take care of my wife… so you lot, go home!”

He’s showered with white napkins and laughs.

“We live here, you dork” Dean, also quite drunk himself, say, “But now I think I wanna do the same”

Cas giggles, “I hope not to his wife” he mutters so Ben won’t hear, and speaks up to the kid, “You young man, bedtime!” Ben salutes and laughs his ass out heading up to his room after kissing Ellen and Bobby good night; Cas grabs Dean by the arm and takes him upstairs to their room, after apologizing to their family with a quick look.

“We have a big tube now, let’s take a bath” Dean says getting his face too close to Cas’, making him chuckle and everybody else snort.

Ruby is not so lucky, she can’t force Sam to go upstairs, not that she doesn’t try but how do you move a moose who doesn’t want to move?

“You and you, AND your girlfriend… OUT!” Sam points at Baz, Charlie and Meg; “GO HOME!”

The three dissolve into laughter and head to the door, saying good night to everybody as they walk out. Ruby goes to the door and apologizes, “Bye guys, sorry about Sam, he’s a mean drunk. Funny… but mean”

“Well, it was about time he showed a dark side… he’s way too perfect.” Meg laughs and lets Charlie wrap her arm around her waist.

Bobby, Ellen and Ash say their good nights and go to their own bedrooms. Jo and Gabe linger a little longer after Sam is finally dragged upstairs by Ruby.

“Stay” she whispers, “I’d love to have you here”

Gabe sighs, looking at her as if she were a goddess, “I’d love that, Joanna”

Funny how a name you hate, because she’s not a ‘Joanna’, she’s a ‘Jo’, can sound so sexy in the lips of the right person. She sighs and looks at him with wide eyes.

Step by step, way too slowly they get upstairs, Gabe whispering in her ear “Oh, gosh, Pumpkin. What you’ve done to me? You’ve got me hooked. I’ve never cared for anyone the way I care about you”

They enter Jo’s bedroom and for the first time, they don’t feel like teasing or playing. Gabe’s touches are gentle, caressing, like worshiping. There’s no rush, the kissing is long and sweet. Lying in bed Gabe kisses every inch of her body; she touches him with ease and pace, making him moan and go crazy even before she takes him in the mouth.

“Pumpkin… Oh, fuck. Can I… God, stop, please… stop that and kiss me” Gabriel tries to focus but Jo keeps licking Gabe, “Fuck… I want to.. fuckfuckfuck wanna knot you… YOU, Jo, just you.”

Jo stops, letting his dick go with a pop sound, “Are you asking me?” she crawls up the bed to get eye to eye.

“I am. I want to feel my girlfriend” he cups her face.

“I never said I am”

“Would you?... be my girlfriend, i mean.” Gabe kisses her.

“I would, bad, bad Gabriel. Asking me such an important question when he knows I’m not capable of saying no”

“Well, then. May I? I’m clean” Gabe sounds unsure if she’s gonna say yes. He’s been tasted recently so he’s being honest; he wants to really feel her, no barriers, just the two of them.

“Yeah, yes, you may”

He groans and manhandles her on her side. Gabe spoons her and kisses her neck as he pushes into her pussy. He starts with slow thrusts, building the pace with ease and tenderness. He picks up a faster pace and they both feel the knot swelling.

“God, Gabe… c’mon… please, show me. OH FUCK”

He moves in a handful of times, Jo cries feeling her orgasm form, hearing her boyfriend gasping for air, her boyfriend’s knot inside her; she comes hard and Gabe follows soon after, crying her name. A few minutes after, when they’re already coming down from the heights, Gabe still rocking her and milking away, she turns her head and he whispers ‘I love you’.

She hums, still overwhelmed by the orgasm aftermath, “Thank you, me too” it’s all she can come up with.

The knot eventually decreases, Gabe slips out of Jo and she turns around, holds his face in her hands and kisses him, eyes welled.

She won’t say, she won’t even allow herself to acknowledge it but this is the first time that Jo has made love to someone. She cannot take her eyes apart from his, drinking in his whiskey eyes, drowning but happy.

They fall asleep, bodies aligned and tightly wrapped around each other, as if afraid the other would leave. She will deal with the mess tomorrow or the day after the wedding. That makes her wish to print this night in gold and keep it forever.

**  
**  
  
  
  



	37. Till There Was You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter... sooner this time... to make up for the lack of chapters.  
> Thanks for still being here... We love you so much.  
> Thanks to LEIA our Beta... she rocks.

_There were bells on a hill_

_But I never heard them ringing_

_No, I never heard them at all_

_Till there was you_

 

* * *

 

Day is dawning and September 29th is finally here. It’s an early wake up and nobody even thinks about lingering in bed for another minute. For once, breakfast is quick, Ben doesn’t even take a second helping of waffles. He’s told to go, take a bath and get ready, his mom and Chad are gonna be here any second.

For a small wedding, there sure are a lot of people in the house. It’s starting to look like an ant farm. The kitchen is suddenly full of people bringing containers, glasses, plates, and God knows what else. The party tent is being set and the food tent is ready, and Mark’s people are organizing their stuff.

“Oh, no-no-nonono,” Ruby takes Dean by the hand to stop him from entering his room after Cas, “You can’t dress in the same room! You’ve chosen to have a small wedding but hell,  it’s gonna be a perfect one. So shush… Sally took your tux and the rest of your things to the other wing. Dean  go now! Let Cas relax.”

Balthazar arrives and finds Gabe already there. His twin won’t tell him he’s spent the night there and nobody mentions it either. So they are told by Ellen to join Cas in his room. Charlie joins them about fifteen minutes later to find her friend trying to tie his bowtie and failing miserably. His hands are just too shaky.

“Come on Cassie, gimme that. Stop shaking. It’s gonna be alright,” Gabe tells him.

“Yeah, I know, but what if. . .” Cas tries to tell Gabe while he’s tying his tie.

“No ‘what ifs’,” Baz says from the window seat, “Everything will be perfect”  

“I’m so freaking nervous that it’s getting ridiculous. Can I have a drink, please?”

“Cassie,” Charlie begins, handing Cas a glass of champagne, “They will be here, you’ll see, I just know they will,” because she knows his nervousness is not about Dean, it’s about _them_.

The twins look at her and nod. They didn’t want to talk about this in such a happy day but it was obviously distressing Cas, so what the hell…

“Castiel, look lad,” Baz says, “Em might be Luci’s business partner but he loves you. I’m positive they will be here, at least for the ceremony. And you know Marianne and the kids are crazy about you”

“God, I miss those kids. How old are they now? Eight?” Finally a smile slips on his face.

“The twins are ten. They’ve been tested recently” Gabe says, looking mainly at Charlie. He knows she probably doesn’t know much about that part of the family except for Lucifer’s crap, so he tells her.

“She’s a lovely Beta, you’ll realize it’s her because she’s got the  longest dark curls and bright blue eyes, just like her favorite uncle,” Gabe points at Cas, “And the boy is a big bad Alpha just like his daddy and cute as his favorite uncle…. _ME_!”

“Gabe, quit the show, you’re not funny, told you already” Baz is pouring his second Scotch and it isn’t even noon yet.

“You know, Cassie, since I came back from the Isles, Marianne does nothing but ask me about you,. Every time I see her. _And_ it has nothing to do with sharing your designation… it’s because she genuinely cares for you,” Baz avoids Cas eyes.

“Baz, you never told me that,” Castiel murmurs.

“Yeah, well… it’s been difficult for you, all these years. I just didn’t want to make it worse. I’m sorry, Cassie,” Baz says as he looks down at his half empty glass.

Charlie looks uncomfortable, for the first time in a long time she’s speechless. Gabe finally notices the mood in the room’s going to the pit, so he claps his hands a couple of times and pats Cas’ back, “Come on people! This is not the time to get sad or mad. It’s your wedding day and you’ll enjoy it.”

“And…” Castiel trails off.

“Dad will be here too Cas. I guess. . . ” Gabe throws a sad look at Baz.

* * *

 

In the other wing of the manor, Dean is enjoying his champagne and relaxed despite the mess the house is turning into. For the first time in his life, a big event, a _huge_ event that has him as one of the main figures, will not make him nervous.

“Sammy, were you nervous?” he asks his baby brother.

“Nervous, are you kiddin’? I was a fucking wreck!” Sam buffs.

“I don’t feel like that. Maybe this is a dream?” Suddenly he sits up straighter in his arm chair, a tiny hint of worry on the face, “Please tell me it’s not a dream!”

Sam laughs, “Oh man, it’s very real Dean. _Very_. You don’t have to be nervous. Happiness suits you, bro.”

“Shit. Maybe I’m the first person getting nervous because he’s not nervous” his face begins to get a tone of pink that’s rapidly turning red.

“Dean come on, stop that. You’re marrying the love of your life. Stop trying to make sense of your feelings and just enjoy your day. This is a one-time thing, then it’s just you and Cas forever. Hopefully you’ll get kids of your own and they will grow up awesome like their favorite uncle, and when they go to live their own lives you and Cas will stay and continue to love each other. Can’t get better than that.”

“My kids won’t grow up to be big saps like their favorite uncle,” Dean snorts, “But I hope they’ll be as intelligent as him. You’re right, Sammy,” Dean says ducking his head to avoid a pillow thrown by his brother.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“Because _you’re_ the sap, jerk!” Sam laughs.

“Bitch!” Dean shouts back and throws the pillow back, hitting Sam right in the face.

“Yeah, I love you too. _NOW_ , let’s get you married.”

* * *

 

The time has come, everything is ready. People are seated across from the winter garden. An aisle parts the audience, leading to a beautiful altar: a wooden arch with green, blue and white tulip bouquets, all strategically placed.

Bobby whispers to Ellen, “I can’t believe Ruby made so many flowers look so manly,” winning both a nervous laugh and a nudge from the woman.

Sam and Charlie are waiting next to the priest, who was the same officiant as in the previous Winchester wedding. Suddenly the music begins to play and everybody raises and looks back. Bobby puts his hand on Ellen’s shoulder as she begins to tear up.

Cas and Dean enter from opposite sides with smiles on their faces. As soon as their eyes meet they take deep breaths as they unsuccessfully try to hold in their tears. They join hands and look at each other for a moment before regaining the ability to breathe again.

“Babe… what you say? Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready for months. Love, let’s do this.” Cas’ smile is beautiful.

They turn and start walking down the aisle, hand in hand and smiles brighter than the sun. They reach the altar and take a quick glimpse of the crowd behind them.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join these two men in Holy Matrimony.

“There is no greater gift than the love that makes two people one. To behold this love blossoming between two hearts is always a joy, and to behold the vows of lovers as they take each to the other is a glorious moment of the soul. It speaks of the great conviction by which people mutually rely upon and believe in one another. In a world where faith often falls short of our expectation, it is a wonderful tribute to two people to see them joining hands and hearts in perfect faith of one another.

Please Dean, Castiel, hold your hands. These are the hands of your best friend. young and strong and full of love for you, the hands that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Dean and Castiel, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?” They both nod.

“Castiel, your vows please.”

Cas looks at Dean with a big sappy smile. He has to take a second before he’s able to talk, emotions too overwhelming.

“I, Castiel Anaximander Novak take you, Dean Ross Winchester to be my husband. I spent the last twelve years of my life as a mated Omega without my mate, people kept telling me that it was impossible but I always knew you were out there. It took me twelve years to stand up here in front of you. From the second I locked eyes with yours, that night at the restaurant, I knew I couldn’t possibly live without them anymore. The greenest eyes I’ve ever seen, bright and perfect emeralds. Love, I promise to have arguments with you but wake up with you every morning. I promise to make you pie.” Everyone laughs but Dean just smiles brighter, “I promise to be your partner in crime, your one true love, your best friend. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come, I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep.” Sam’s tears cross his face and his big sappy smile..” Says Cas with watery eyes and a wide smile.

“Dean, your vows please”

“I, Dean Ross Winchester, take you, Castiel Anaximander Novak to be my husband. I was shocked when I met you. I could see the sadness in your eyes, and still found them the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. From that day on I it made my life’s goal to have you always smiling. I was recently told I am a sap, and I threw something at the person who said it, but he was right. I am a sap when it comes to you, I love you and I want to do it for the rest of my life. There is no life without you anymore my mate, my true love. I promise to love you and cherish you till my last breath, and to be there for you no matter what the future holds. I promise to be your partner in crime, your one true love, your best friend. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come, I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep.”

Charlie handles the ring to Castiel.

“Dean, I give you this ring. Wear it with love and joy. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my husband this day and everyday.”

Sam handles the ring to Dean

“Cas, I give you this ring. Wear it with love and joy. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my husband this day and every day.”

“Dean and Castiel, now that you have made promises to each other that will be the foundation of the wonderful family you are going to build together. Under the authority of the laws of the State of California, the Alpha Office, and sanctioned by Divine Authority, I pronounce you lawfully married husbands in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. What the two of you, with the help of those who love you, have chosen to put together, is beautiful. let no one "mess with!. You may now kiss.”

Cas and Dean grins as they close the gap and meet in the middle, kissing so tenderly that made everyone in attendance is in awe, including the officiant.

“Friends and family, I present you Castiel and Dean Winchester-Novak”

* * *

 

Dean and Castiel turn around to face the little multitude of friends and family who are cheering and smiling as they take photos. The husbands try to walk down the aisle, but after a few steps they give up as their friends and family surround them.

The first one to hug them is Ben. Ruby and Sam appear next, but as pushed away by Jo and Charlie as they complain about hogging the newlyweds.

Marianne and the kids finally get to Castiel, after waiting for what it seemed a lifetime. Marianne watched as the guests greeted Castiel. There were just so many people that seemed to love him. Suddenly ashamed by himself, Emmanuel stays back, sadly looking at his feet.

“Congratulations, Cassie,” Marianne says shyly, surprising Castiel.

“God, Mar, so good you made it! Gimme a hug, I missed you and the kids so much! Thank you for coming to my wedding!” they hug tight and Marianne smiles.

“Come over, kids. Kiss your Uncle Cassie. You remember him, right?”

The twins come close, the girl shy and the boy confident, maybe too confident. “Mom, I’m not a kid, I’m an Alpha,” he says. Cas puts on a serious face but Marianne can tell he’s laughing.

“Well, hello Mister Big Alpha. Too big to give your Uncle Castiel a hug?” the kid looks at him perplexed, “You know, Stephen, Alphas do hug too. My husband’s brother is a MetaAlpha and he hugs me all the time. My stepson’s a MetaAlpha too and he hugs me also. It’s not a kids’ stuff, it’s family stuff and you, young man, are _family_ , and I couldn’t be happier.”

Stephen hugs Cas unenthusiastically, just like any other ten year old. Castiel understands and takes whatever little loving the kid can give.

“Oh and there is my beautiful niece! Come here, Natasha. Come and hug your uncle. Oh, God I missed you so much, baby girl” The girl smiles against his shoulder and Cas’ heart bursts with joy.

Marianne puts her hand on his back and Cas breaks the hug with his niece and stands up.

“You know, Cassie, he’s sorry about all the mess Luci dragged you into. You mind at least acknowledging his presence?” Marianne asks him. She’s asking for her brother-in-law to pity her husband… as if her Alpha husband had ever pitied him. No, that’s not fair, Cas is better than that and this is a special day, nothing will ruin it.

“Mar, I’ve never stopped loving him. I know his behavior was Luci’s doing, and yet _he_ made _his_ own choices. I invited him and that was _me_ making _my_ choices. If I didn’t want him here I wouldn’t have invited him. I didn’t invite Lucifer, you see.” Cas takes a quick look at his brother and continues, “I don’t really know if I have already forgiven him or if I ever will but he’s my brother and I love him. I just need more time to heal the wounds”

She extends her arm at Emmanuel and the Alpha approaches, unsure of how to act. Should he hug him? Should he shake his hand?

“Congratulations, Cassie. You look good. You deserve to be happy.” He extends his hand.

Cas looks at the hand in front of him, then he looks at his brother in the eyes, takes a step and hugs him. It feels like an hour but only a few seconds passed.

“I need to properly introduce you to my husband.”

Castiel turns around and looks over the heads of the guests for his husband, he’s talking to Sam and Ellen. “Dean Love. Come here, please,” Dean turns to see Castiel, his smile falters when he sees Emmanuel, and excuses himself to his brother and mother. He crosses the garden in a few long steps and he’s by his husband’s side in a second

“This is my big brother Em” Dean grins and huffs, Cas senses it and squeezes Dean’s arm moving his attention to Emmanuel’s wife, “And this is my sister-in-law Marianne, my niece Natasha and my nephew Stephen. Isn’t it nice that they made it to our wedding Love?”

“Pleased to meet you, Dean. Congratulations! You caught the best one,” Marianne shakes Dean’s hand, the kids wave and Emmanuel stands still.

“Dad! Cas!” Ben comes out of nowhere speaking fast and mindlessly, “You think Uncle Sam will let me stay while you go on your honeymoon? I like my room here and I can keep Auntie Rubs’ company, is it okay if I ask them?” he suddenly realizes that his parents are talking to people he doesn’t know, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“It’s okay, Ben.” Dean looks at Cas for confirmation, the Omega nods so he agrees, “Sure thing, buddy. Look, these are Cas’ niece and nephew; and these are their mom and dad; he’s Cas’ brother. Marianne, this is my son, Ben.” Dean introduces his son, purposely leaving Emmanuel’s name out.

Ben politely shakes Marianne’s and Emmanuel’s hands. Cas whispers  something in his ear that makes Ben smile wide. He looks up at Cas and fist bumps him. He goes next to Natasha and Stephen and the three go out to the food table where Ben asks the waiter for three french fries cones. Ben walks away happily eating and chatting with Natasha while Stephen, proud and all too stiff for his age, follows them french fries in hand.

Dean watches his son walk with Emmanuel’s children, his gaze sweeps and lands on Cas, shining brightly while talking animatedly with his sister-in-law and Dean can’t help but smile. A _happy_ Cas makes Dean feel like the luckiest man alive.

But his eyes stop at Emmanuel’s figure and his face lose the smile. From a couple of meters away, Sam watches Dean approaching Cas’ brother and gets ready to jump in and stop Dean from hitting the fucker… or maybe to go and hit him himself, Sam’s not sure.

Dean does nothing to attack Emmanuel, but he does speak to him, calmly and clear, “Look, Emmanuel, I don’t want trouble at my wedding. The only reason I don’t kick your ass out of here is because my husband loves you, and I want Cas to have his family here. Now, I’m gonna play the fool and go say hi to people who actually love us instead of wasting my time with you.” He turns to Cas and speaks up, “Hey, Babe, Ruby is looking for me, gonna be over there, alright?” After kissing his husband tenderly on a cheek he leaves him with his family.

Emmanuel joins Cas and Marianne, as he puts his arm around his wife and tells Castiel, “Well, that went better than I had expected. He protects you, Cassie, I can respect that. If you want me to leave I understand… just say the word and I’m gone”

“Em, I want you all here. I want this day to be perfect, every problem and misunderstanding should be left out.” Emmanuel nods and pats his baby brother on the arm, Cas smiles and excuses himself, “I’m gonna go and find my husband, please join the rest of the family… Gabe and Baz are around here somewhere.”

* * *

 

Dean is talking with Lisa and Chad when an old man, grey haired and bright blue eyes approaches him.

“Hello, Mr. Winchester. Can I have a word, please?”

Dean instantly knows who he is, “Of course, Mr. Novak,” and motions towards the side, to have some privacy.

“How do you know who I am? We’ve never been introduced,” the old man says while following Dean.

“He’s got your eyes, sir; and the resemblance is quite impressive. Among the Novak siblings he’s the one who looks more like you,” Dean shrugs.

“Yes, I guess you’re right,” the old man looks over Dean’s shoulder, “Hey, there you are, this is Cassie’s husband.”

“You are Dean then,” the red haired woman says, smiling as brightly as Cas, and Dean can see him in this beautiful girl’s features.

“Yes I am, and I think your brother will be thrilled to see your here. C’mon, let’s find him,” Dean takes her by the elbow to guide her through the bunch of people spread throughout the garden.

“Anna, wait! I need a few words with Dean,” she nods and stands a few steps behind.

“Look, sir.” Dean lowers his voice at a level that is just one step this side of threatening, “If you’re planning to ‘ _Lucifer_ ’ me, I promise that I’ll personally escort you to the door. I don’t care if you’re his father you are not ruining this day for my husband.”

“No, young man. I won’t do that to my son on his wedding day. I wanted to apologize. My oldest is a little bit… oh, who am I kidding… I don’t even know who Lucifer is anymore. He hasn’t been good for this family for a long time now, but I’m too old and I’m too tired to deal with him. I’m truly glad the twins and you are strong enough to fight him back. I just wanted to apologize because I didn’t do anything to stop him… I… I promise you, Dean, I never thought he would go this far.”

“It’s okay, sir. I know the kind. Nothing will stop Lucifer if he’s got an agenda” Dean sighs, talking about Lucifer in a happy day is too tiresome, “Let’s go find my husband. He’ll be happy to see you both, he misses his family.”

Castiel is talking with Sam and Ruby when he turns sensing his husband coming closer. He stops cold at the sight of the girl next to Dean and screams a little.

“ANNA, you made it! Oh little sister I missed you so much!” Cas hugs her and the Winchester siblings, smile widely, are truly happy for Cas. Some tears roll down Ruby’s cheek.

“I missed you too, brother! Oh, God I need to breath and you need to see who came with me. Cassie.” Anna replies but not quite letting his brother’s arms go.

Cas lifts his head and watches his father coming closer to him. He’s old, older than he remembered him; there’s a look of pride and joy in this man’s eyes, and a smile that reaches his eyes.

“Hello, father,” Cas salutes, formal and quite uncomfortable.

“Son, come here,” he hugs Castiel with tears spilling out the corner of his eyes, “I’m sorry, son. I’m so, so sorry. I’ll never forgive myself for letting you down,” he tells his son hugging him tight and talking into his neck, his voice muffled and shaking.

“Dad, I wouldn’t have invited you if I hadn’t forgiven you a long time ago. This is my wedding day, my husband is perfect and this day is perfect too. This is our day and I am truly happy that you decided to share it with us.” Cas takes Dean’s hand, and asks him, “Love, is it okay if he sits next to me? I know I’ll mess up all the arrangements but…”

Dean won’t let him finish, “It’s okay, Babe. We’ll send Jo with Gabe and Baz, Anna can sit with them too.”

* * *

 

Cas organized the wedding reception to be as informal as possible, so people basically walk freely. At some point everyone kept switching tables to talk to different people, as Dean and Cas looked at their friends and family interact.

“Dean Love, look over there. Jo and Anna have been talking and laughing for about half an hour now, I think they’re gonna be friends. Gabe will make sure of that…”

“Yeah, how cool is that Babe? Our sisters getting along, see Ruby was right, you _are_ happier with your family around. I love you so much,” Dean kisses him lightly but Cas won’t have anything less than a proper kiss, so he grabs the Alpha by the neck and holds him as he kisses him deeply.

“I love you too, Dean. I’m so happy that I feel like my heart could explode.” Dean watches him smile so wide his gums are showing and he wants to take him away and keep him to himself.

“Can I steal you now?” he asks Cas with a wink, which of course causes Castiel to laugh harder.

“I wish dear, but we have duties to the guests and our families. I don’t think they’ll be very happy to find us gone before the cake and pies are served.”

“Ooh, pies… you know how to win your Alpha’s heart Omega,” Dean teases.

Cas laughs, failing to see the look in his father’s eyes when he hears Dean talking like that. “Husband… I love you,” he says kissing Dean again.

“No, husband, I love you more,” Dean sighs into Cas’ lips, “How can a word sound so sexy… _husband_ ”

Cas whispers in Dean’s ear “Not quite sure Love, but I can’t wait for the party to end.”

* * *

 

Sam stands as he raises his glass and everyone stops talking.

“My brother has always been everything to me since I was a child. He rose me until we found Mom and Dad.” He points in Ellen and Bobby direction as the old couple blush and smile, “You guys couldn’t have been better parents if you tried. We both love you deeply and we’re forever in debt for the family you gave us. But before that, Dean was mom and dad for me since he was four. He’s the one who taught me to walk, to talk, about the birds and the bees. He taught me how to pick up chicks and how to be a better person. Our mom, _Mary_ …” Sam voice breaks when he looks at Dean finding his brother’s face traced by tears, “I never really knew her, she died when I was six months old, but Dean made sure to talk about her every day so I’d get to know her by his memories. I think… no, I _know_ she’d be very happy about Cas. Drink for her, Mary… mom, wherever you are, we love you and we miss you deeply.” They toast, Cas holding Dean’s hand tightly.

“Dean has always been a bonehead, you know, picking chicks and driving his baby” Everyone laughs and nods, and Dean throws a napkin at him, “Hey! I’m just stating the facts, we all know you! _Anyway_ , all that changed six months ago, after my birthday party we’ve seen Dean transform; before that it was always taking baby and running away… for those of you who don’t know, baby is the ‘67 Impala parked in the garage. There’s a reason my brother doesn’t need to get lost with her on the road anymore. Cas, you’ve made my brother a better person, you made him want things that we had lost hope for him to want. So, thank you, brother, for making my big brother happy. Now, a toast for the new Winchester-Novak family and a wish for the best for you two, forever.”

Everybody was cheering as Dean and Cas hugged Sam, thanking him for his words. A clink on another glass calls everyone’s attention.

“I know I’m not the best man and that this is irregular, but, well… it’s me,” Gabriel begins, “I want to make a toast, too. This is the first time my family is together in the same place since my eldest sibling’s wedding, six years ago; and I think this time nobody is gonna be harmed. Baby bro, I love you. A lot has happened since mother died and you’ve always been my favorite.” He feels a spoon thrown at him,  “Hey! I love you all but Cassie caught my heart since the moment he was born.” He rapidly says hearing the complaints of Anna, Baz, and Em, “Cassie is my second best buddy… hey! I got a twin! You can’t beat that!” He turns to his twin and winks, “Baz you’re always gonna be my other half, and that’s why Cassie is your favorite as well. We took him under our wings and, sometimes, we failed to do a good job but I think that all in all we did it. Cassie, you’re an amazing person, and now you found the most annoying, obtrusive mate, but damn he’s loyal and loves my brother to death. I can’t thank God more for such a great mate my baby brother’s got. So yeah, let’s toast for my little brother and his annoying Alpha.”

Cas and Dean laughs as they thank Gabe with a hug.

* * *

 

By the time the first dance starts, the husbands have already been around all the tables trying to get to know their spouse’s friends. It’s nice to see that they each have their own share of good friends who understand and accept them.

The whole wedding is about Dean, so he made a little tiny change in the music selection. Cas had selected a Led Zeppelin song for their wedding dance but Dean changed it to Cas’ favorite song: ‘ _Till There Was You_ ’ by The Beatles. The glow on Cas’ face when the music starts is priceless and it fills Dean’s heart with joy.

♫ _There were bells on a hill_

_But I never heard them ringing_

_No, I never heard them at all_

_Till there was you ♫_

_♫ There were birds in the sky_

_But I never saw them winging_

_No, I never saw them at all_

_Till there was you_ ♫

They begin to move, slowly, smiling, arms tightly wrapped around each other. They hear the words, but the rest is a blur beyond the multicolored paper lamps.

♫ _Then there was music and wonderful roses_

_They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows_

_Of dawn and dew_ ♫

They miss the loving gazes from their family and friends because, right that moment, it is only them. They’re oblivious to the world around them as blue eyes stare into green and green eyes stare into blue. They lean into each other, foreheads touching, as they continue to slow dance as the world all but faded away.

♫ _There was love all around_

_But I never heard it singing_

_No, I never heard it at all_ ♫

They slow as the song comes to an end, as they shift and join in a tender kiss that should hold a place in the history books as they smile into each other’s lips.

♫ _Till there was you_

 _Till there was you_ ♫

Their first dance comes to an end and everyone claps while the music turns into another song. Soon enough, Jo steals Cas for a dance, and Charlie takes Dean. The dancefloor is packed, even Bobby is dancing. Dean and Sam stay still for a moment, both Winchester boys amazed at seeing their surrogate dad dance. They laugh and make sure to have the photographer take a few photos of the moment, as well as some shots of Ben dancing with Natasha.

They dance to exhaustion, then they cut the cake and pies, and then dance some more. They love every second of their wedding, and now it’s time to go. They’re going to spend the night at the guest house and drive to Baja in the morning. Thank you Baz.

The day died long ago and everyone else is long gone. Ben says goodbye to his mom and dads, and then heads up to his TARDIS themed bedroom. He’s planning to Skype with Natasha later. Gabe lingers.

“Pumpkin, I have to go, the grooms are tired and I don’t want to intrude.” He motions to the door but, as if having second thoughts, he turns back and cups her face, “You own me a talk but not now, right now I want to say ‘ _I love you_ ’ and I don’t know about you but _this_ … this is not something that will fade away anytime soon. Please don’t let me out of whatever is going on in your head. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Gabe kisses her long and tender. She smiles and walks him to the door, her eyes sad and watery.

“We’ll talk soon, Gabe, I promise. Today is not the best day.  And… fuck, you know what? I love you but…” Jo looks at Gabe’s worried face and decides not to do it tonight after all, “Look, call me tomorrow, alright? We’ll talk.”

* * *

 

“Oh, God… I think I ate a whole pie” Dean groans.

“You _think_? Love, you ate eight slices of pie... that’s a whole

damn pie!”, Cas laughs lying next to Dean on the couch of the mansion.

“Uff, I can’t move…”

“OOOhhh but you _will_ move. I want a proper wedding night and a proper after wedding morning… so no excuses, husband.”

“COME ON! Shut up already!” Sam complains, “Enough with the flirting, you are husbands now, we don’t need to know… stuff.”

Jo laughs and drops on the couch as Ruby comes out of the kitchen exactly when Sam is complaining and sits on his lap. They are all waiting for the catering staff to finish packing up before they all go their separate ways.

“Hey! I do wanna know!” Ruby laughs at Sam’s expression, “What?! Look, guys, you go. I can watch them out. It’s not gonna take too much longer anyway”

“No” Dean groans, “I can’t move an inch,” Cas laughs and pats Dean’s head.

“You’re cute Love,” Cas says as he turns to Ruby, “Oh you already know, Ruru. We just like messing with Sam’s head.”

“Poor husband of mine… but you two, go. Go on now! Go and have tons of married sex. I’ll keep the front here” Ruby shushes them, as both Sam and Jo cover their ears.

Sam complains again, “Stop it with the images! Gosh, I’ll have to bleach my brain _again_!”

“Now, now cutie… who do you think you’re talking to?”

“I know! I know! Damn woman… you two, get out of my living room NOW!”

“Oh, so this is your house now?”  Dean says with a bitchface, “What happened with ‘ _this is also your home_ ’. Ass.”

“Yeah, well when you’re stubborn it’s _my_ house. The rest of the time is ours.”

Cas is laughing his head off but manages to stand up anyway, offering his hand to Dean, but the Alpha is having problems even thinking of getting up.

“Oh, I’m so full. I’m sorry Babe, but I think the wedding night will have to wait a little.”

“Not a chance. You won’t make me do all the work, so get together and take care of your Omega, husband.”

Sam rushes to cover his ears but the damage is done. _And_ he did not whine, thank you very much. He then turns to point at his wife with an accusatory finger.

“You woman, this is your fault. We’re never having sex… ever again!”

Ruby laughs out loud. Jo smiles a little.

“They like to mess with you because you let them, Moose,” Jo teases.

“Oh and now I’m a moose. C’mon! Is this a ‘ _tease Sam_ ’ day! Why wasn’t I notified?” Sam pouts.

“Honey, you’re drunk. Go to bed. Jo and I can handle the caterer. GO! I know you’re tired,” Ruby kisses his temple, as they have a muffled conversation.

‘Okay, I’ll go but hurry up. I’ll wait for you,” he tells her as he gets up from the couch.

‘Oh and _now_ you want sex… a few minutes ago you said no sex ever again. A drunken moose can’t keep his promises, huh?”

Sam buffs and goes to their room. Ruby waits till she hears the bedroom door slam, and faces Jo.

“What up? Come on, let’s hear it.”

“There's nothing up! I don’t know what your talking about.” Jo states innocently.

“Please sister, gimme some credit. Even without Gamma mind reading powers I can tell there’s something bothering you. Don’t look at me like that Jo. Dean told me he has already told you about my abilities and that’s okay. I’ve noticed that sad look in your eyes since the rehearsal dinner. Actually, since the morning after to be precise, and I just saw you kissing Gabe goodbye. Trust me, your mind was saying quite the opposite of your mouth. I could see in your eyes you thought it was the last kiss.” Ruby waits a few seconds to see if Jo would come around on her own and spill, but it looks like Ruby gave her too much credit this time.

“You are as locked away as Dean with your thoughts and usually I would let you be, but now you’re blocking me on purpose. I can tell there’s something definitely wrong here,” Ruby says, but all Jo does is stare at her feet, “Oh COME ON! I know you love Gabriel and I know for a fact that he loves you, so I don’t get what the problem is?”

“The problem? The problem is that I’m a fucking Beta and he’s an Alpha and _this_ has no future. It started as a game, I liked him alright; he’s gorgeous and I love his body and he’s as kinky, which I _absolutely_ love. He was a toy, a real life toy. I played with my toy and in the middle of the game, I started to believe it was real, not make believe. I was selfish and I wanted to enjoy him as much as I could because I knew that at a point it would end, I would have to put my toys away and grow up. I tell you I was ready for that, ready for him to walk away. Until he offered to be exclusive. I wanted that too but… but as soon as he gave me his house keys I knew I had to end it. Only I can’t because I love him. He said he loved me too at the rehearsal dinner and I was happy for a split second and then it hit me, I’m a Beta, I’m not good enough for him. Now my heart is broken into a million pieces, and every time he says he loves me it breaks a little bit more. I didn’t want to break up with him before the wedding, but I’ll have to do it soon, and I don’t know how to do it because I love him so much, Rubs.” Ruby takes a deep breath, but it does nothing to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks.

“Have you talked to him? Because if you haven’t you have to. You have to make sure you tell him the same exact words you’ve just told me”

“What for? What’s the point? There’s no way out of it. I always end up falling for the wrong person”

“Jo, stop it! Listen to me, okay. **TALK. TO. GABE**!” Ruby cannot be clearer. A text sounds on Jo’s phone.

‘ _I love you, Pumpkin. You looked so sad at goodbye. Take a cab and come over, let’s talk._ ’

Jo shows the text to Ruby, as she continues to sob.

“See? How can I cope with that? I need to break up with him tomorrow,” she texts back.

She types _‘I’m tired. Let’s talk tomorrow_ ’ and presses send before giving it a second thought.

“God! You’re a Winchester, and trust me, that’s not a compliment. For once, listen to me, Jo. Talk. To. Him.”

* * *

 

“NO. Pie exhaustion. Pie… full belly” Dean complains.

“You’re a baby. Come here, husband. Drink this, it’ll make you feel better.”Cas handles him a shot filled up to the middle with a black beverage. “Go on, it’s an Argentinian drink called Fernet or something like that. Rubs says it’ll settle your stomach in a few minutes.”

Dean looked at the shot and shrugs, “Okay… bottoms up,” he gulps it all in one go making a face.

“God this is horribly bitter… got some more?”

“Ruby said no more than a shot. C’mon Love, let’s put you to bed and I’ll undress you, well, minus the bowtie… I’d like you to keep it on. Let me know when you start feeling better, okay?”

Castiel undresses Dean leaving only his boxers briefs on and the green bowtie and tucks him under the covers. He takes his time to take his own clothes off, but also leaves his underwear on. Cas lies next to Dean and starts rubbing his belly.

“How you’re feeling now Love?”

“Better. Kiss me and we’ll found out.” Dean turns onto his side to face his husband.

Smiling, Cas leans into the kiss, soft and tender. His tongue touching Dean’s trembling lips. Dean opens up his lips and they linger there for a while, there’s no rush. They’ve have all night to make love and they will take their time. Dean tries to chase Cas’ mouth when the Omega leaves his lips to kiss his neck and nibble on Dean’s earlobe. He starts sucking on it lightly and whispering praises to his love.

Dean whimpers and leans into the touch. He arcs when Cas kisses his jaw lowering to his collarbone, biting tiny marks and getting to Dean’s nipples. His tongue swirling around the hard buds, sucking the skin around it rather enthusiastically making Dean lose his breath. Dean is a mess under Cas’ touch, he lays there enjoying whatever Cas has to give.

Castiel takes a second to look at his mate’s, _no_ , his husband’s body. He blows on Dean’s sensitive nipple.

“Oh, God!” Dean cries, and Cas smiles while continues his journey towards Dean’s belly button, a praise for every kiss. Dean is turning into a writhing, panting mess under Cas’ touch and he’s loving every second of it. Cas positions himself in the middle of Dean’s legs, firmly stroking his inner thighs. Lingering with his touch as his mouth waters at the sight of Dean’s untouched and painfully hard cock.

“Cas, Babe, you’re killing me” Dean doesn’t want him to stop, though.

“That’s the idea Love.” Cas whispers against Dean’s skin sending shivers up his spine as he moves to kiss Dean’s knee cap. He plans on kissing every inch of his Alpha’s body, and making him a squirming mess. He keeps on going south, kissing Dean’s big toe, Cas locks eyes with him he sucks hard on it. Dean’s eyes roll back as he makes a deliciously loud and steady whimper, beautiful. He begins to kiss his way back up Dean’s left leg. Dean closes his eyes, focusing on the sensation and on not coming.

“Open your eyes, husband.”

Dean complies and looks at the love of his life crawling over his body until they’re eye to eye. He grabs Cas by the shoulders, stroking the soft skin up to his face. He cups his face, looking adoringly at his Omega, his beginning and his end.

“I love you”

Dean repeats this over and over, unable to say anything else. Cas smiles as he pecks him on the lips and goes back to his kneeling position. Eyes locked on Dean’s, Cas traces a line over the vein of Dean’s dick, making it twitch, underwear long discarded. Cas smirks and bends down to blow on the tip.

“Oh, God, fuck, touch me, please.” Dean can’t help but cry.

“Someone’s impatient, uh? There’s no rush Love, I have all night to praise you.” The most perfect sound comes out of Dean in the form of a squeal. Cas keeps blowing over the skin next to Dean’s cock but avoids touching it directly. Dean writhes on the bed as he slowly tortures him. His mate can do whatever he pleases, it just makes the pleasure burn brighter.

“Please, Babe, please,” Dean doesn’t know what he’s pleading for, but he feels Cas’ lapping the tip of his dick, just the tip of the tongue touching him making his head spin; Cas keeps moving up and down, and up and down again, head bobbing and sucking. He watches Dean grasping the sheets and goes back to his task smiling… he relaxes his throat and takes more of his mate, humming as he swallows him whole.

Dean lifts his head just enough to see his own cock disappearing inside his mate’s mouth.

“Cas, Cas, Babe… Oh God, please, stop! Fuck, _STOP_!” Cas feels Dean is falling apart and slowly licks his way up.

“What, my Love, aren’t you enjoying this?” Cas pouts.

Dean’s brain is a mess of want and need and can’t form a coherent sentence, “No… no… want… you, not you… not mouth… YOU!”

Cas licks Dean’s tip and stops, “I don’t get it… you don’t want me? Okay, then, I’ll just stop.” He sits, hands on his lap.

“No… no, please don’t stop.” Dean lifts on his elbows, “I want to be in you Babe.”

Cas smiles and moves to sit on Dean’s belly. The Alpha feels Cas slick leaking down onto his dick and balls and he can’t form another word, his dick trapped along the crease of Cas’ ass and its head suddenly caught on the rim, “Is this what you want Love?” Cas lingers while all Dean can do is nod, whimpering.

“I still don’t know what you want Dean,” rubbing himself slower, making sure that Dean’s dick catches his rim on every pass.

“Please, oh yes. . .  Castiel, please. I want to be inside you.” He sits up and grabs Cas by the neck bringing his face close to his own, and in a very low groan he says, “I want to fuck you” and next Cas feels the head of the Alpha’s cock pressing past his rim. He relaxes around the intrusion, panting, so wet he doesn’t even need preparing himself. He starts to move his hips slowly, growling as Dean bottoms out.  Cas feels the slight pain of the sudden intrusion eased by the slick and even the burn of the thrust is welcomed. Everything is left behind after the first few moves as he rides Dean’s length.

Cas lets out a shuddering breath, his eyelids dropping, closed as he begins to make long, smooth thrusts, lifting until the head is the only thing inside him to immediately lowering himself down again, gasping and gripping Dean’s shoulders. Dean groans and writhes, gripping Cas hips so hard he knows they’ll be bruises. Cas gasps with each long drag of Dean’s cock passing his rim, his head tilted back, moaning his husband’s name. He continues to sink into his mate, lingering in the stroke and making Dean more of a whimpering mess than before. He feels the knot forming but he will delay it as far as he can so he bottoms out and stops.

Dean opens his eyes at the sudden loss of friction around his shaft. He finds Cas smirking down at him, he feels him moving his hips from side to side making him stay on the edge, denying him enough friction to come.

All of the sudden he remembers he’s allowed to move. Dean grabs Cas hips and propels himself up with fierce, strong thrusts, increasing the pace and making Castiel whimper. He rolls them over and quickens the pace and that’s what pushes him over the edge. The knot finally swells against Cas prostate and he wails something that’s a mix between his mate’s name and a curse. Dean presses against Cas belly preventing him to take his own dick in his hands. Desperate for friction Cas holds Dean by the waist and pulls him down, pressing his dick tighter between their bellies he comes right after Dean, crying his husband’s name. Dean kisses him, deep and sweet, stroking his hair, cupping his face. Both are smiling into each other’s mouth still rocking lazily, just waiting for the next orgasm to hit.

“I love you so much, husband.” Dean whispers, kissing Cas eyelids, “This was the perfect way to wrap up an amazing wedding day. There’s nothing else I could possibly want.”

“I love you too, husband.” Cas mumbles, thrusting up, milking Dean for a second time. They keep rocking, coming again and again, this time Dean does not try to fasten the receding time frame, he just lets it be… he wants to stay inside Cas forever, Baja and the honeymoon can wait.

Eventually, minutes… or perhaps it’s hours later, the knot recedes and Dean carefully slides out of Cas, both losing the completion they had just felt. Castiel lets Dean manhandle him as he slides behind him, and smiles at the kisses his husband lays on his neck and the phrases of love and praise that are whispered in his ear until they both fall asleep.

 


	38. Where can we go from here?

_Where can we go from here_  
  
All I know is that I love you still   
  
Sometimes we do things against our will   
  
I know I cry lonely tears   
  
Where can we go from here

 

* * *

By the time Jo opens her eyes the sun is up and shining in a way that is too bright for such an early hour.

“Someone just turn the sun down, for fucks sake” she mutters to herself, as she lingers under the soft fresh sheets. Knowing that the things she has to do will hurt big time, she’s in no rush to start the day.

At a point she decides to suck it up and get up. Jo takes a long bath, dresses carefully with clothes that cover her whole body; she has consciously selected not-so-tight jeans, a loose T-shirt and a hoodie. She looks at her image in the mirror and sighs. Her face is a bit swollen and her eyes are red from all the crying and oversleep.

Almost in autopilot, Jo goes to the silent kitchen since most of the family is still sleeping or hanging out in the winter garden; she grabs some fruit and leaves the house in the car that Dean fixed for her some weeks ago. The drive to Gabe’s comes to an end before she can even realize it, lost in her thoughts and fears, feeling her heart break a bit more with every mile driven.

She takes the elevator and finds it hard to breathe evenly; she sighs deeply before using her key to open the door. Walking in Jo finds Gabriel sitting on a stool by the kitchen counter.

“Hello, Pumpkin” Gabe smiles sipping his coffee and motioning to pour a mug for her; he stops cold when he sees her try a little smile. That’s when he notices the look in her eyes. He storms to where she’s standing, right next to the door. “What’s going on, Jo? Are you okay? Did anything happen to Cas and Dean? Talk, woman, for Christ sake” He grabs her by the shoulders and looks at her pleading for an answer.

“They’re okay, Gabe; they’re on their way to Baja in the Impala. Dean called from a gas station about an hour ago and they are enjoying themselves”

Gabe visibly relaxes and lets his hands travel Jo’s arms from her shoulders to her hands, lovingly caressing the skin, “So, if everything’s fine what’s with the tears, then?”

“I can’t do this, Gabe.” He freezes, his face twitches as if he had just been stabbed in the heart; he lets her continue, though, “I can’t pretend anymore. You love me and you couldn’t be more amazing or perfect but I can’t… I just can’t…”

“Wh… what? I… I don’t get it… yesterday at the wedding it was perfect, and last night it was fine too. You even said you love me… Hell, Jo, why did you agree to be my girlfriend if you didn’t want to? Why? Was it a lie you said to get rid of me? Was it all a lie?”

Jo cannot hold his gaze, she just stares at her own feet and lies through her teeth, “Yes, it was a lie”, words barely audible.

Gabe’s hands fall from her wrists to lie on his side, he does it on purpose so she won’t notice his shaking hands, “Look at me, Jo! Look at me in the eyes and say it again. Say it to my fucking face!” _‘This is not happening. Pleasepleasepleaseplease no.’_ his mind rushes _._

Jo lets out a sigh and raises her head, eyes red and lost, leveling her gaze with his and struggling to keep her tone even as reciting a very well-rehearsed speech; she says, “This is the end, Gabriel. I don’t want to do this anymore” takes a second to gather herself preventing the tears to share but not quite composing herself, takes just one more deep breath and tells her biggest lie ever , “I don’t love you.” She swallows a cry, “Goodbye”.

Gabe watches her walk away in shock. He then watches her turn around and reach for the knob, yet she suddenly stops and looks at her closed hand. Jo opens her hand and a Gabe watches in horror as a set of keys fall on the floor. He still can’t seem to regain the ability to move so when Jo leaves the apartment choking a sob, he just stands there feeling numb.

Jo finally finds herself in the hall, waiting for the elevator she hears the apartment door open, and thanks her lucky stars that the elevator doors close before he reaches her. She runs through the reception hearing Gabe calling after her, shouting his _whys_ , but all it does is make her quicken her pace. She needs to get in the car and leave this behind; she needs the security of her car to allow herself to cry. She waves to the security guy that opens the front door for her.

The noon light is too bright, she’s parked two blocks away and the walk is torture. She enters the car and tries to start the engine but decides otherwise. Her vision is blurred and her general state is quite bad, she’s in no state for driving. Then she does the only thing she can think of and calls her brother. Sam picks up the phone after only three rings.

“Hey, Jo. Everything okay?”  he says a bit relieved to hear from her since he found it odd not to see her at lunch time.

“No. . .” is all she can say before a waterfall of tears begin, and she can’t help but shiver and hiccup, worrying her brother to no end.

“Where are you.” He waits a few seconds but all he hears is Jo crying, “Jo! Answer me! Where. Are. You.”

“Tw… two… blocks up fr… from Gab… Gabe’s apartment. Ple… please come and get me?”

“What did he do? I swear I’ll kill him if he…”

“No, Sammy… he didn’t do anything… this…this is all my fault. Please come and pick me up.”

“I’ll be there in twenty. Don’t move,” and hangs up.

 She lets the phone slip through her fingers and cries. She sets her back to the driver’s door, lifts her legs and hugs her knees. She’s oblivious of people walking the sidewalk looking in. Her grief is too strong to care about what people think; she just hugs herself tighter and buries her face between her knees. 

A tap on the window startles her. Sam finds her in a ball, her face swollen and the sleeves of her hoodie wet with tears.  He opens the door and hugs her tight, helping her out the car.

“Jo baby, what happened?” Sam is very concerned; he’s only seen her like this once, at her dad’s funeral.

She grabs at Sam like a lifeline, hiding her face against the crook of his neck.

“I broke up with him, Sam. I can’t worry my whole life… I… I just can’t… can’t wait my whole life for her…. Or him to appear…  I can’t be the other,” she stutters, her crying finally stopping and Sam goes from confusion to understanding.

“His mate,” it’s not a question, “You’re worried that his mate is gonna show up one day and he’d leave you.” Sam kisses her head, “I’m sorry baby, I didn’t know you were in love with him.” He helps her to get out of the car and closes the door.

“Let’s get you home now. I’ll send someone to get the car.”

Jo lets Sam get her into the SUV. Jo never reacts to her surrounding as Sam drives her home. Ruby’s waiting on the porch and reaches for Jo as she walks up the steps. Jo let’s herself be led upstairs to her bedroom. Ruby has Jo sit on the bed as Sam watches from the door as she undress her and puts her to bed. Sam and Ruby stroke her hair and whisper words of comfort. as she cries herself to sleep.

* * *

 

Monday morning and Sam is checking his patient's’ progress at the hospital. Dylan condition is improving and he’s really convinced that the treatment is working. Sam grabs the paperwork and heads to his superior’s office to tell him about his discoveries.

He’s aware these little victories are just a small step for Dylan’s state, but its progress nevertheless. He is confident enough to ask for permission to extend his investigation but all he gets from his boss is approval to continue the treatment; he’ll have to ask the board for more. Of course Sam understands, the new treatment he wants to implement has never been tested before. Being a Meta gives him the chance to and the old board Doctors like him so he’s going to use that on his own benefit.

Sam decides to talk to Dylan’s mom before doing anything else, asking her for permission to raise the dosage of the kid’s drugs.

“He’s doing better, the cancer cells are shrinking. Of course it doesn’t mean he’s cured, don’t get me wrong, but it’s the best he’s been in a long while… you know that. You’ll start to see him in a better mood, and the pain is still there, but it doesn’t take his whole day. This is definitely an improvement”

“Doctor Winchester, I trust you. I’ve noticed his mood change and yesterday he even asked me if I could bring his dad over one of these days.  I’ll give you my consent Doctor. God bless you.”

He gets the paperwork signed and stays late at the hospital chatting with colleagues from Europe on a Skype session. Sam finds it easy to make little sacrifices if that means he’s gonna help the kid. He doesn’t know why and he won’t tell anyone but he firmly believes the can save the boy.

* * *

 

The beach, _any beach,_ is their oasis. Sand and ocean have a deep and secret meaning for the newlyweds and it feels like home.

They have a relaxed routine, if you can that. A couple of hours a day on the beach holding hands and sharing a comfortable silence letting the waves talk, then they’d have breakfast and lunch in bed and eat out for dinner. The rest of the time they sleep or make love. Cas blushes intensely when he catches his husband looking at him with so much love and reverence that it makes him feel like a king and Dean would just smile back, amused at his embarrassment.

Thursday morning surprises them with the end of their perfect honeymoon. It’s time to go home, they take their time packing and use every chance to casually brush their bodies together. Cas closes their toiletries’ bag, sighs and takes Dean’s hand.

“I wish we could stay here forever, Love” Cas tells him wrapping his arms around Dean’s waist.

“Yeah I know, Babe. I love the bubble we’re in here,” his husband says kissing him softly.

“What you say? Do we go crazy and stay for a bit longer?” he knows the answer but he can still dream.

“I wish we could, but I don’t have any vacation days yet. I’m lucky Jeff likes me enough and gave me time off for our honeymoon. I still can’t believe our luck! I started working only six months ago and as a mated Alpha I get three days off a month for the same salary. I don’t wanna take advantage of my situation there. So… tomorrow I have to work.” Cas pouts at him but then smiles wide. Dean’s heart accelerates and he feels his dick complain at the confinement of his jeans.

“Wanna go for one last round?”

“Are your eyes green?” Cas shoots back and tosses his t shirt on the floor next to their bags. He grabs Dean by the hem of his shirt and pulls it over his head.

The Alpha loses all sense of time when he finds himself with his back on the bed and his Omega, already naked, taking his pants down. He needs to knot him.

“Fuck Cas! How can I still be falling for you?” he marvels as he stares at his shiny blue eyes.

Cas smirks and kisses him softly, lips barely touching, “Well my love… that’s because I’m perfect.”

They laugh and kiss and fuck their brains out as if it was the first time. They’re happy and nobody can take that away from them.

The trip back home is nice. There’s no rush and they enjoy the sun shining through the windshield, as they hold hands. Dean stops at a Tex Mex, gets out of the car and opens the passenger door for a very confused Cas.

“What? I thought we were supposed to drive all day.”

Dean tosses the car keys to him, “Time for _you_ to drive Baby. She needs to know and love you as I do.”

Castiel looks at the keys and then to Dean, knowing this is the last part of Dean that was still missing to share with him. He understands the significance of this gesture, he cups Dean’s face and pecks him on the lips, “You’re letting me drive your car for no reason? Wow, thank you, Love”

Dean rolls his eyes and snorts, “For no reason? No. I’m letting you drive Baby because you’re my husband and everything that’s mine is yours.”

Cas hugs and kisses him all over the face making him laugh, “There’s people around, you know?”

“So what? They can suck it. I love you, husband,” Cas says kissing him deeply and hugging him tight by the waist. Dean responds by grabbing Cas’ face.

They can hear someone shout, ‘ _Get a room!_ ’ and Dean flips them off without stop their kiss.

“Husband, we need to go now, life is waiting for us.”

Cas lets go with a pout, “Fine… let’s drive Baby home.”

Dean takes shotgun and checks his phone as Cas starts the car. He watches his husband drive out of the parking lot and smiles to himself at the thoughtful expression Castiel puts on for the drive. He last checked his phone three days ago. He knew that if something important would have happen, his brother would have called.

So the phone is full of texts and emails, mostly congratulation messages. He takes a quick look at some of them, leaving the rest of them to check at home. However there’s one he can’t put aside without reading, it’s an email from Ellen stating she expects them to be online for a Skype session, she’s not asking them, she demanding and Dean knows better than to disappoint his mother.

“Something important has to be said,” he reads to Cas, who just shrugs and continues focusing on the road ahead.

Dean dials Sam’s number.

“Hey Sammy… yeah, we’re on the road already… No, Cas is driving… Of course he can drive Baby, he’s my husband!” Cas looks sideways at him for a second and smiles, “Of course he’s more important than you. He’s my mate _and_ my husband! Stop bitching about it… Yes, you are still 3 rd… Ben! Who else?... Okay, okay, big baby… You are second _with_ Ben. Now shut up and let me talk! Did you receive an email from Mom, too?... Alright, have you talked to her?... No, I haven’t either, I’ve just read the email myself. Do you think we should be worried?... I don’t know. It’s weird. Well, I’ll call her… Yeah, you do that and then call me back, Jerk… I do too… Kiss that witch of yours for us. We’ll be back home in two hours tops. We’re taking it slow… nice landscape to enjoy. Bye Jerk.”

“What was that?” Cas asks.

“Mom sent an email. We’re supposed to be online logged on Skype tonight because she has something important to tell us. Sam says that he and Jo got the same thing. I’m gonna call Mom now” Dean says while dialing again.

“Hi Mom!”

“Dean, baby, what’s up?”

“What d’ya mean what’s up, just the end of our honeymoon,” Dean looks over and winks at Cas.

“Mm yeah, right, you never call if you don’t need anything or something bad happened so excuse me for worrying. . . everything okay then?”

“Why, oh why, can’t a son call his surrogate mom for no reason?” he laughs.

“Not a twenty nine years old son on his honeymoon. Seriously, is everything okay with you and Cas?”

“Yes, it’s all fine, better than fine. I’ve never had so many breakfasts in bed and… stuff” he deflects.

“Good. Spare your mom the details, though,” El laughs.

“Hey! I’m NOT Ruby!” Dean complains and Cas laughs out loud.

“Yeah, yeah… spill now boy!”

“I actually just called because I’ve just seen your email and I was wondering…”

“Shut it. My email was clear enough, Skype tonight. I want all six of you there, my babies and their partners. You won’t get any sneak preview so stop it.”

“But El… _MOM_ , c’mon!” Dean won’t take a _no_ for an answer… not without fighting back.

“I’m hanging up now,” she laughs.

“Mom!”

“I love you, talk to you tonight,” she hangs up and Dean looks at the phone and then to Cas who is taking little glances at him. Dean snorts and dials Sam’s number.

“She hung up on me. At least she’s alive and well,” Dean confirms to his brother.

“Dad hung up on me too… what is it with these two?” Sam complains. “We spoke for about thirty seconds and as soon as I asked about the Skype he said ‘You idjit cannot follow instructions. That thing on the computer tonight!’ and hung up.”

“Well, at least they both sound like themselves. We’ll have to wait. Gotta go now, Sammy. See ya in a while.”

* * *

 

Alfie’s itch for the sea wins him over and he returns to Santa Monica’s beaches to see the ocean. Also he wonders about the restaurant and whether it is still open or not. He decides to drive through the Angel’s Pit and notices the ‘Close for renovations’ sign on the door.

“Fuck, that can’t be good. Castiel renovated the place less than a year ago,” He parks on the street and puts his hat on, and looks at the ground hoping that this was enough to conceal him.

He peers inside but there’s nobody in sight, the chairs are on top of the tables and there’s dust everywhere. The restaurant is closed and it’s _his_ fault.

Sam’s left the hospital on time for the first time in a couple of weeks, for the reason that he had to let the restaurant staff in to work on the remodeling, so when sees the vaguely familiar figure at the front door he stops dead in his tracks. He lingers by his car waiting for the guy to turn and get a better look at his face. As he turn around Sam gasps, that’s the guy from the photo Ruby showed him from the letter. Sam begins to ponder what the best course of action is and he finally decides to follow Alfie.

Sam gets in the car and waits for Alfie to start his car and drive away. He follows him at a safe distance and parks not so far from the entrance of a small old hotel where he sees him enter. Sam waits inside the car for a few minutes and then enters the hotel himself.

“Evening,” He says to the hotel manager sitting behind the counter, “A guy’s just entered here wearing a hat. I need to know which room he’s in,” he asks placing a fifty dollar bill on the counter.

The man doesn’t even look up, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Let’s try to bring your memory back,” Sam says adding a second fifty.

“Room 304,” he takes the money and walks into his office.

Sam smirks and leaves the hotel pressing 1 on his phone to speed dial Ruby. He begins to walk across the street and enters a café, and makes sure have a table by the window. Ruby doesn’t answer. As he dials again he orders a green tea; Ruby must have set the phone to silent for some reason. Finally she answers, but before she can even say hello Sam quickly speaks into the phone.

“Rubs, I found fucking Alfie” he proudly says.

“How? . .  Where are you now?” Ruby mumbles.

“I was just lucky Rubs, and he was kinda stupid. I still cannot believe that he was outside the Angel’s Pit when I went to open for the renovation team. Right now I’m at a café across the street from his hotel. He’s in room 304… yes, I did pay for information. I’ll text you the address as soon as we hang up.”

“Good, stay where you are. I’m calling Chuck and the police, but call me right away if he makes any move at all. Love you.”

“Love you too, but baby, I don’t want you leaving the house. I know you want to be here and kick this bastard’s ass but the office directions were very specific: _no work at all_.”

“I know Sammy, I’ll behave. Please call me if there’s any change.”

They hang up and Sam texts her the hotel address and also the model and the license plate of the car he’s driving.

* * *

 

Ruby checks the info on the text message that Sammy sent and dials Chuck’s number.

“Uncle, Sam found Alfie! I’ve just sent you the address of the hotel, license plate number and the make and model of the car.”

“Wait… what? Slow down and start over girl,” Chuck asks her.

“Oh, sorry. Sam found the guy who confessed to poisoning the Meta. We have to be quick about this. Sam is pretty sure Alfie didn’t see him following him, but we can’t be sure. Sam is at a café across the street from the hotel he’s staying at. Alfie is staying in room number 304, Sunflower Hotel. Yes, the address is in the text too. I’m not supposed to be involved in any work so you’ll have to call the police yourself.”

“RUBY NICOLE, you better stop working and giving me directions! Bonnie is calling the judge now for the arrest warrant. I’ll keep you updated as soon as I have any news. Now lay down and relax.”

She pouts as the phone goes silent, she hates being on house arrest. _Technically_ it’s called bed rest, but it definitely _feels_ like house arrest.

Two green teas and fifty minutes later and Sam is still at the café. He watches a police car park a few meters away from the hotel and park, no one gets out. Sam stays put, anxious but controlled. Fifteen minutes later, a black car parks in front of the café. Sam isn’t surprised to find Chuck exiting the car and walking towards him.

“Hi Sam,” he greets as he sits in the chair next to his.

“Hi Chuck. Alfie entered that hotel, but so far I haven’t seen anyone leave. The clerk said that he’s on room 304, it only cost me two fifties.

“Good, that’s really good Sam. We’re waiting for the arrest papers. One of the paralegals will bring them soon,” Chuck orders a coffee as they wait, staring intently at the hotel entrance. Sam wonders if the clerk has kept his mouth shut.

Ten minutes later a cab drops off a man in suit. Chuck meets him at the door and comes back to Sam with the papers. “You stay here, you’ve helped enough Sam. If you see him leaving the hotel don’t do anything stupid, let the police handle it, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. I don’t think he’s dangerous though,” Sam shrugs.

“Me either, but people can do stupid things if they’re frightened.”

Chuck, the paralegal and a police officer enter the hotel. Five minutes later they leave the place with Alfie in handcuffs. The expression on his face is part worry and part relief. Sam crosses the street and when Alfie sees him, he smiles.

Sam is confused, as he pulls out his phone and calls Ruby.

“He’s been arrested Ruby. I think he knew I followed him… I don’t know either. Maybe he was tired of hiding…  Anyway, I’m coming home now, so I’ll see you in a little bit,” he hangs up and waves good bye to Chuck as he starts his car.

* * *

 

Dean and Castiel enter the mansion driveway and park the car. Dean opens the trunk and joins Cas as he begins to take their luggage out. Ruby greets them at the door, happy to finally have them back, she’s missed her best friend.

She has decided to let Sam tell everyone the news, so she smiles at them, hugging the men when they approach.

“Guys I’ve missed you! How was the drive?” Cas hugs her back while Dean looks at the scene in amusement as her tone and movements are highly enthusiastic.

He dismisses her reaction to their appearances and turns to pick up their bags, Cas on the other hand is automatically suspicious.

“Something’s happened.”  Ruby knows better than to try to lie,“Sammy will tell you as soon as he gets back home. He’s ten minutes away and I only know half of the story and I won’t give you only half the truth,” she steps aside to let them in.

Castiel looks at her in disbelief, “Who are you and what’ve you done with my friend.”

Ruby snorts, “I can be discreet, if I want to. Now tell me… “she asks him, “Did you wear him out? Did you go to the beach? Did he follow your every command? Come on Cassie, throw me a bone!” she complains.

Castiel laughs and sits next to her on the couch.

“Yes, we did go to the beach for at least two hours every day and I think we may have scarred a couple of teenagers for life. I had better sex than in any of my heats and that, my friend, is the only sharing I’ll be doing.”

Dean is coming down the stairs and hearing half of the conversation he yells, “ _CASTIEL ANAXIMANDER_ …!”

“What, Love?” Castiel distractedly says, arching his eyebrows and smirking.

“Stop feeding her! Next you’ll know she’ll be knocking on our bedroom door with a camera in hand asking to watch,” Dean sits in the armchair.

“So what?” she shrugs.

“Oh my God, you do want to watch!” Dean sounds scandalized for real.

“Are you proposing?” Ruby leans towards Dean, a smirk on her face. She’s the depiction of mischief.

“WHAT?! Please somebody save me!” Dean leans back and covers his face with both hands. 

“Save you from what?” Sam asks in a confused manner entering the living room.

Dean stands up and extends both arms towards Ruby, ”Not what, who! Dude, you need to get your wife away from me!”

“Nope, can’t help you with that, I tried already. Nothing I can do about her.”

“She said. . . you know what, I won’t even repeat it,” he falls back into the armchair defeated.

“What you do this time?” Sam looks at his wife knowing for sure she did _something_ to upset his brother.

“I was just stalling them on your behalf, but I may have been a tiny bit naughty too… just a little,” she admits.

Sam rolls his eyes at her, “Yeah… yeah… I know your definition of ‘ _little_ ’. What did you propose, because I’ve told you before, I won’t have sex with my brother in the same room,” he gave the sentence a tone of finality.

“No. You’ve said that before so I made sure not to ask THAT!” Ruby buffs.

“Great! Now you’re putting ideas in her head. C’mon, Sammy!”

“I don’t think I can put any ideas in her head, that imagination of hers is vast enough,” Sam says resigned.

Castiel, who’s kept himself out of the conversation, couldn’t hold his laughter in anymore. The others turn to watch him laugh so hard he can hardly breathe as tears running from his eyes.

“What?!?” Sam and Dean ask at unison.

“You… her… Love… I can’t, sorry,” he tries to compose himself, and he almost succeeds, but looks at their confused faces and loses it. He tries again, “I told her I enjoyed the honeymoon and shared just a tiny bit of information, but then YOU,” he said pointing to his husband, “You made it worse and then… he… oh, you should know her better, Sam, you kept making it bigger! Now I can hardly breathe from laughing because you’re all making it worse! Oh God, your faces….” Castiel begins to calm down, “You’re all so funny. Look at the two of you, all red from embarrassment and I can actually see Ruby’s mind running ten miles a second. She’s always been good at finding what annoys you two the most.”

Dean squeals a little and Sam rolls his eyes.

“Don’t worry, Love; I’ll take those images out later. Now you, Samuel Tristan, I think you have something to tell us."

Sam looks at Ruby but she shrugs, “I said nothing, like I promised, he just knows something is going on.”

“Alright, so get this…” and he begins to tell them the whole story.

A few minutes later.

“Wow” Dean sighs out.

“So, this is a good thing, isn’t it?” Castiel asks, looking at Ruby.

“One should think so," Ruby pats Castiel on the shoulder.

“I’m hungry," Dean complains.

“When aren't you hungry?” Ruby laughs.

“When I sleep,” Dean retorts as if it was obvious.

“That’s not true, Love.” Castiel says getting up and taking Dean’s hand, “You talk about pies in your dreams… makes me jealous."

They laugh and head to the kitchen.

* * *

 

“C’mon guys, everybody to the living room!” Ruby goes upstairs to retrieve Jo from her bedroom, “Jo, I know it’s hard but you have to be here too. Ellen said she wants us all together for the announcement." Ruby takes Jo by the hand, “You can appear for a few minutes and then leave, or you can just crawl on the armchair. Your choice, but I don’t think tonight is a good moment to let your mom know about you and Gabe."

“Okay, I’ll play along but I’ll need a beer. No, make it a whiskey and don’t tell me to comb my hair because that’s not gonna happen. And since we’re at it, here’s my phone, burn it or throw it away. He keeps calling and texting, I don’t want to deal with that anymore. Refuse to even open a text or email by him, I need this to end and continue with my life.”

“Okay, one thing at a time. Let's get you downstairs.”

“I wanna go to bed,” Jo complains as Ruby sits her beside Sam.

Sam is worried, but turns back to the laptop, “Just a few minutes, Jo. You can do it, sis.”

Dean strokes her hair as Sam dials Ellen’s Skype. Neither Dean nor Castiel understand exactly what’s wrong with Jo or why Gabe hasn’t shown up, but they’re so tired from the car drive and the news about Alfie that they don’t even question it.

Sam sits back and says, “Alright everybody, smile.”

“Hey kids!”

“Hello, idjits.”

“Hi,” they greet together.

“Wait…” Ellen points her finger to the screen and counts, “I see only five of y…” but she sees Sam’s face and clears her throat.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Bobby says.

“Cut the crap already, what’s going on?” Dean is sleepy and he’s tired of waiting for them to talk.

“We went to a casino…” Ellen trails off.

“And we won 10 grands at the tables!” Bobby finishes.

“Oh shit, that’s a hell of a lot of money!” Sam says speaking up among the enthusiastic voices.

“Shuddap already, ya idjits! ” Bobby looks at Ellen and she nods, “And since we were feeling real lucky, and happy…” the five young people go silent waiting for the news.

“WE GOT MARRIED!” Ellen shouts, showing her hand with the beautiful ring on her finger.

Five sets of eyes are fixed on the computer screen in silence.

Dean snorts, “You gotta be kiddin.”

Sam tilts his head, “Mom, tell me this is a joke?”

Jo uncovers her mouth only to ask, “Mom, are you guys serious?”

Bobby and Ellen begin to laugh.

“Bobby, what the hell!” Dean and Sam say at the same time.

Ruby interrupts, “It was about time Bobby! Congratulations you two, we’re so happy and I know your three babies will be congratulating you as the shock passes.”

“Oh, I know Ruby,” Ellen smiles, “I’ve raised all three, it would have been a bit disappointing if they didn’t complain a little.”

“Uh, yeah. . .  Mom, Bobby, congratulations. Sorry, it’s just a surprise,” Dean softly says.

“Mom I’m so happy for you! I wish I was there to hug you both,” Jo says with tears in her eyes.

Sam is finally able to focus on the screen and smiles, “Mom El, Papa Bobby we love you and we will always support you but. . . it would have been nice if we we’re there to see it.”

“Congratulations, Robert and Ellen. I hope we can gather together and celebrate your union,” Cas adds stroking his husband’s back as he continues to stare at the screen.

Bobby snorts, “Boy! You had sex in my house. I think you can call me Bobby again, son.”

Dean whimpers and flushes red, as well as Castiel, who can barely look at the screen again, yet he manages to say, “Congratulations… Bobby,” glancing at the others when he hears them laugh.

“Now, you idjits don’t think I don’t know you all have a glass of something close, non-alcoholic for the lady, I hope,” he points at Ruby, “So, raise your glasses, family!”

Bobby clinks his glass against Ellen’s as he looks at the screen, “To all of us.”

They cheer and wave good bye to the newlyweds as they end the Skype session.

Jo doesn’t wait for the computer to be off before she runs upstairs. Dean looks at Ruby questioningly but she shakes her head and mouths ‘ _later_ ’. Dean lets it go, trusting Ruby’s instincts.

Sam’s phone buzzes as they walk back to the living room to discuss the news. It’s a text message from Ellen.

 Ellen: «Is my baby ok?»

Sam: «She broke up with Gabriel.»

Ellen: «Why? They seemed happy.»

Sam: «That’s the problem Mom. He’s an Alpha and she’s afraid of him finding his mate.» 

Ellen: «Oh my poor baby, I didn’t know she felt like that about him.»

Sam: «Me either. Damage is done. We’re picking up the pieces now, give her time. She broke up with him three days ago.»

Ellen: «Okay Sammy. Give her a hug from me and tell her I’ll call her tomorrow. I love you.»

Sam: «Night Mom. Love’ya»

He returns to the conversation exactly when Ruby is telling the guys that Jo hasn’t taken quite well the break up with Gabe, despite the fact that she was the one making the decision. Dean and Cas ask a lot of questions but Sam and Ruby have decided that they wouldn’t say too much. Castiel, as Gabe’s brother, is already in an awkward position. All they want to do is spare their friend the pain of being in the middle of the whole mess.

* * *

 

Ruby wakes up early, for the reason that Sam has agreed to let her leave the house for a few hours. She’s so sick of staying inside doing nothing that even going to court is welcomed.

There’s nothing left to be said at the trial but to make the Gamma papers official. After a brief reading the council president speaks.

“We have no idea what to do with you Ms. Shurley-Winchester? We still, as of yet, have made any rules or designation bills for something like you.”

 _‘_ I’m a _‘something’’_ Ruby thinks.

“That’s why we won’t separate you from your Meta. You’re also pregnant and the current law is clear: you two should remain together. You, Gamma, will be submitting yourself to whatever test is required, so we can make the necessary laws. Still the premise remains; if you manage to bear a live baby you keep your status. We are pleased to be informed that you are following this council orders, continue on this path and you will give birth to the first known Meta-Gamma-Child.”

A folder is handled to Ruby, “Here’s a list of Doctors you can choose from, also the rules you have to abide. You are indeed a lucky lady Mrs. Shurley-Winchester. Being the first documented Gamma pregnant, mated with a MetaAlpha makes you precious and invaluable. Add to that a healthy baby and you’ll be alright. You may now leave.”

Sam and Ruby leave the room holding hands. They a shared smile and press their foreheads together as the doors close. They walk out of the courthouse and are met with hugs by their family and friends.

It’s been six days since Jo broke up with Gabe. That was on Sunday afternoon and now it’s Friday morning. A week since she’s left her bedroom for more than fifteen minutes. Her brothers and sister taking care of her, making sure she eats and showers. No matter what they do, all she seems to be willing to do is cry until her eyes dry up then fall asleep. Her heart is broken beyond repair and is nobody else’s fault but hers. She tells herself over and over that she shouldn’t have kept Gabe that long.

* * *

 

The subpoena arrives Friday afternoon and states that they must all be present in court on Wednesday 10 at 9:30 AM. Ruby calls Chuck to ask about Alfie and how the preceding will go. It seems that everything was done by the book and _Novak and Novak_ wouldn’t be able to contest his testimony. Chuck is making sure of it, he doesn’t want to leave any opportunity for doubt.

Ruby hangs up with her uncle and goes upstairs to take lunch to Jo. When she enters the room she opens the curtains and the window to freshen up the room.

“Jo, darling, wake up. It’s noon already! C’mon. . . I brought lunch,” Jo in response covers her head with a pillow, grunting.

Ruby sits on the bed and slowly removes the pillow to strokes Jo’s hair. It’s been a week since she’s been okay. After the break up doesn’t even bother to wake up before noon. Only six day later and she’s become a dark figure in the house. Dragging her feet from the bed to the bathroom and back again, sleeping all day, and ditching school. For the first few days she cried her eyes, which Ruby could deal with, but now she shows no emotion and drifts through the house like a ghost.

Ruby is officially worried. Gabe’s been calling at least three times a day, but Jo has refused to take the call. Now it’s Friday and Ruby has had enough. She hears Castiel’s car coming to a stop outside and goes downstairs to meet him.

She finds him in the kitchen by the fridge taking vegetables out to make dinner. Ruby sighs making him turn and smile at her.

“Hey Ruru, what’s with the face?” Cas says, as he tries and fails to sound cheerful.

“Can we talk, Cassie?” she sits and pats the chair next to hers.

“Sure, what’s up,” he sits patiently; he has something to share as well, “What happened?”

“Jo and Gabe happened.”

“Uhm. . . yeah. I’ve just phoned Gabe and he’s not good, what the hell happened?”

“Jo broke up with him. He didn’t do anything, to be honest, but still he’s the reason she’s a mess.”

“I just don’t get it, Ruru. Gabe is a mess too, and he says he doesn’t know what happened. They were happy at the wedding so…” Cas trails off.

“I know, Cassie. From what she told Sam on Sunday when he went to pick her up from outside Gabe’s, and the little that she mumbles in dreams, she’s afraid Gabe’s mate will show up at some point. So she decided to end it before it was too late.” Ruby sighs, “I know that there’s something that Gabe is keeping from everyone but, I can’t tell what it is. The sentiment behind it is very strong, so I can’t see much of anything, but you do know, don’t you Cassie?”

“Oh God, I’m stupid. I should have talked to him sooner but I was in Baja.  . . I was so engrossed in my own happiness that I didn’t even think about it. I’ve been so fucking selfish.” Castiel stands up and paces, uneasy; obviously blaming himself for something.

“You're not selfish, you deserve what you have with Dean, nobody’s blaming you. You waited years for your happiness, it’s only logical that your head was somewhere else,” She hugs him.

“I can’t tell you the whole thing because it’s not my story to tell, but what I can tell you is that Jo will never have to worry about Gabriel’s mate.” His eyes suddenly sad.

Castiel doesn’t have to say another word; she can read him crystal clear.

“Oh. . . I get it now; you should talk to him Cassie. I won’t say anything about this to Jo; nothing would work to take her out of her state anyway. She’s just one more stubborn Winchester that I have to deal with.”

“Yeah, trust me, I know,” Cas says with a smile, “I’ll call him in a couple of hours, he’s off work by then.”

“No need, he’ll call around five.” Cas looks at her questioningly, “Not like that,” Ruby laughs, “He’s been calling at that time every single day. You just answer the phone and have your talk.”

“Nah, I have to meet him and Baz tonight. I’ll talk to him in person.”

* * *

 

Castiel arrives at Gabe’s an hour early with the twins and Dean so he can talk to his brother in private.

“Hey kiddo… where’s that big bad Alpha husband of yours?” Gabriel wraps his baby brother in a tight hug.

“Don’t call Dean that. He’s coming straight from work, should be here in a few.” He returns the hug, “How are you?”

“Well, I’ve been better. How’s she?” Jo is all he can think of.

“Every day a bit worse, she’s virtually a zombie.”

“I still don’t get it. As I said on the phone, if this makes her so miserable then why? Why leave me like this, because no way I’m buying that ‘ _I don’t love you_ ’ thing. I just know she loves me as much as I love her.” He’s so desperate he doesn’t realize they’re talking by the front door.

Castiel moves past him to the couch and sits down.

“You know for a smart Alpha you can be just clueless sometimes.”

“You know I don’t believe that crap about the superiority of intellect of the Alphas, Cassie. Tsk, you’re way smarter than me.” Gabe snorts.

“Yeah, that much I know,” Castiel jokes.

“Well thank you brother. Kick the wounded man!” Gabe complains.

“Sorry, Gabe, you’re right.”

“So you _do_ know what’s up with her!“ Gabriel sits next to his brother.

“Yes I know and it’s as simple as she’s a Beta and you’re an Alpha.”

“So what? She knows I don’t care.”.

“Oh she doesn’t either, that’s not the problem.”

Gabriel looks at him silent, waiting.

“So? Are you gonna continue playing or are you gonna tell me? I’m dying here, brother.”

“You are really slow about love stuff Gabe,” Gabriel sends him a bitchface that could rival Sam’s and Castiel smiles wide at that, “She’s worried about you finding a mate and leaving her on the spot.”

“OHHH shit shit shit… I messed up. FUCK!” Gabe’s hitting his forehead with his fist, his face red with both embarrassment and pain. He leans forward placing his elbows on his knees as he grabs his face.

“Yep. I assumed you didn’t tell her anything.”

“I never thought it was appropriate. Seriously, how could I even bring that up in a conversation? I would have told her eventually, but I never thought she was so insecure.”

“I don’t think she’s insecure Gabe. I think it has to do with mating stories becoming truth around her. It’s made her more aware of your designation.” Cas gets closer to Gabe and takes his hands to make him look up to him.

“You have to tell her and you have to do it soon. She’s in pain Gabe, physical pain.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that first thing in the morning. I’ll go there and talk to her in person, since she’s not taking my calls or answering my texts. NOW! Baz and your husband are here. Come and help me with the food.” They get up as the doorbell rings.

“And by help you mean make the food myself,” Castiel laughs, the mood lighter now that everything is clear.

“What can I say,” Gabe says while opening the door, “I have the best chef in town as a brother, I can’t help it.” He shakes Dean’s hand and hugs his twin. Dean goes straight to Cas side and kisses him deeply, as the twins make sounds of disgust.

Dean laughs against Cas’ lips.

* * *

 

Back at the mansion Ruby and Sam are trying to cheer up Jo. They order Jo’s favorite food and rent her favorite action movie, but nothing seems to take her out of the mood she’s in. Ruby can’t take it anymore.

“You should talk to him,” she says and dismisses Sam’s silent warning.

“No, Rubs, that ain’t gonna happen. I need to get over him as soon as I can. I know I’ll have to see him at family meetings forever, so I need to get over this now. . . The sooner the better.”

“But Jo. . . ” Sam can’t think of what to say to help Jo.

She just shrugs; “I has to be done.” She chokes a sob on a spoon full of chocolate ice cream.

“Bring the other container. I’m gonna need tons of this tonight.”                                                                                                                                                                             

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love Kudos and comments feel free to leave one... or two!!!


	39. Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon

_How come I was the last to know_  
  
Took the stage then you stole the show  
  
Another unsuspecting sunday afternoon  
  
I was captured by that stare  
  
Now I`m shattered, but I don`t care  
  
And the people walking by don`t have a clue

 

* * *

 

Gabe can’t stop pacing in front of his car. He’s nervous and every little thing is setting him off. The heat, the gravel he keeps walking over, damn, even the sun reflecting off his car. He hates it. Why is everything so beautiful! Doesn’t mother nature see how much he’s suffering. Well he’s not going to take it anymore, he’s decided. He not going to wait for ‘later’, he’s acting now.

Gabriel stops pacing and turns towards the mansion. As he walks up the steps Ruby opens.

“Hi, Gabe! I was wondering when you would stop pacing.” She lets him in but doesn’t move from the door, “You understand she doesn’t want to talk to you, right?”

“Yeah I’m aware. After a week of not picking up the phone or answering the texts or emails I sent her she made her point. I just really need to talk to her, I want her to know something.”

“Well, I hope for the best. . . Oh Gabe! I’m sorry… I’m so so sorry.” Ruby pats his back.

“What?” Gabe looks at her in confusion but a few seconds later a light of understanding shows in his eyes, “Oh, yeah… Cassie told me about you. It’s okay Ruby,  it was a long time ago.”

“Of course Gabe. I could sense that there was something you were keeping hidden from Jo, but I couldn’t read it. I also didn’t want to pry, if I could help it, it’s not my story to tell. So you ready?” She hugs him.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. At least you know why. I didn’t know keeping this from her would turn out this way, I just want her to understand.” He says in a low voice.

“I know Gabe. She’s in the living room pretending to watch TV,” Ruby motions with her head.

  
Ruby disappears into the kitchen while Gabe enters the living room. Jo looks up as she hears someone approach her. Gabe gasps; Jo looks like death. Her eyes are red, and her face is sunken and gray. For just a second her eyes shine brighter, for just a second her breath falters, then it’s gone. Jo turns back to the TV as if he never made an appearance.

“What are you doing here, Gabe?” She asks, looking at the TV without really watching it, “I thought that by now you had gotten the hint. I don’t want to talk to you.”

Gabe feels his chest tighten as he looks at her, “Pumpkin, please liste…”

“Don’t call me that!” She cuts off in a cold voice.

“Okay Jo, I get it… you don’t want anything to do with me anymore. I just need to tell you something important. Can you listen to me one last time? I promise I’ll leave you alone after that, please?” Gabe kneels beside her.

She looks at him with tears in the eyes, and because she loves him and she’s weak and she needs to look at him one last time, to fix his face in her memory and lock it up in the back of her head for ever; for all those reasons she agrees.

 

“Okay… one last time.” Her lips are a thin line as she closes her mouth to fight back the sobs. Gabe looks at her and says with tenderness in his voice.

“You’re a persistent little she-devil, you know that. You made a truthful man out of me. With your kinks and sexiness and overall personality. You killed my desire for the rest of the world, and made a playboy like me into someone who wanted to settle down… Now I can’t imagine my life without you. Jo, I have to tell you something, and this is a big deal for me… Jo-Jo please look at me” Gabe says, taking her chin and turning her head, “I’m in love with you and I don’t know how to handle that… I’ve been in love before, you see. Last time I said ‘I love you’, it was to my mate about ten years ago. I love you Joanna Beth, and it scares me to death because I never thought I’d love again.  Then you came along and proved me wrong… and broke up with me and left me all alone. Now I don’t think. . . no, I _know_ I can’t live without you and I’m freaking out. Please do something, say something! … please, Jo.”

Looking at him Jo smiles as tears fall down her face, “I… I’m sorry Gabe, I just can’t… it’s not that I don’t feel something for you… it’s just that… wait… _mate_?”

“Yes Pumpkin, I said mate. I’m sorry, I should have told you sooner… but I was weak and afraid to bring up the past… I… I mated ten years ago,” his voice lower, almost a whisper.

“HOW? Where is she… or he?” She cleans her face of tears and turns to face him.

“Ava, her name was Ava. She was the most beautiful Omega I ever saw. Dark long hair, skin like alabaster, emerald eyes. Sweet, kind… _lovely_ ”, Jo hears his love for her in his voice and a pinch of jealousy climbs in her heart. She lets him continue instead as she fights the horrible feeling in her chest, “I met her when I was nineteen, the second I laid eyes on her I just knew I’d love her till the end of time. She played hard for a while because she didn’t want to mate at eighteen, but of course we all know it’s something that can’t be helped. We got married and decided not to have kids right away, we were too young, and so for two years we got to really know each other and enjoy our marriage. Then she got pregnant.” His voice cracked and she couldn’t help but to take his hand, “It was twins, a boy and a girl, and I was never happier,” tears start to fall down Gabe’s face as he cries in silence, and Jo sits there without saying a word, holding his hand.

“The pregnancy was difficult, the babies were too small, she had high blood pressure… nothing seemed to be going right. She was given bed rest only two months. She was so afraid of a miscarriage she didn’t even want to go to the bathroom. All she wanted was to keep our babies safe.” Jo is holding her breath, afraid to know where this story is going, but she knows that she needs to let Gabe finish.

“We were kids Jo, it was too soon… and week 32 of the pregnancy she went into premature labor. Doctors told us they would try to keep the babies inside the womb for another couple of weeks, so she was admitted in the hospital for monitoring,” He begins to shake, “The babies were too small and fragile for natural birth so they made a C-section and that was the last time I saw her smile; an hour later the babies were delivered and Ava died as I kissed her good bye and I held her hand while she took her last breathe. Something infected her blood and they did everything they could to save her… but I didn’t have the time to grieve, I had two babies that needed their daddy, so I went to them… Jo, my God, they were beautiful, so tiny and perfect, but their lungs were failing. They were monitored every minute of their lives, and I tried to be there. I never left the hospital; Baz and Cassie brought food but I couldn’t eat. Hell I would even take time to change my clothes. I only did it because the nurses told me to. They got sick, one disease after another. I was allowed to hold them once, when they told me they wouldn’t make it. I stood strong for them, told them how much I loved them and how brave and beautiful their mom was, that she loved them with all her heart. I kissed their foreheads and talked to them until they passed away.” At some point during the tale Jo realized that she had closed the distance between them and was combing her fingers through Gabe’s hair as he leaned on her shoulder.

“My babies Jo, so tiny, so beautiful, so perfect… they died twenty seven days after they were born.” He buried his face into her neck, “I walked out of the hospital as if nothing had happen, I just couldn’t feel a thing. I went home and sat there for two days, curled on the couch, I didn’t even bother to go to the bathroom. Nothing really mattered to me anymore. The love of my life and my babies were gone and all I wanted to do was die. I couldn’t even feel sadness, I was just… empty. Baz finally came over to check up on me and found me. He bathed me, fed me and put me to bed. I was dehydrated and malnourished, I could even eat solid foods for a week, but Baz was there through it all and took care of me. The funeral for my babies and Ava came and went. I stood there the whole time feeling nothing. Truthfully I was in denial; it wasn’t my wife and kids… it was somebody else’s family, my family was going to show up any day now. I even thought I was dreaming for a while, I was just waiting to wake up with Ava beside me and my babies in the next room… And then Cassie and Baz went home with me and hugged me. I couldn’t deny it anymore. I cried and screamed and punched at anything and everything hoping it would make a difference. They just stayed through it all until I collapsed from exhaustion. They moved in with me  the next day and stayed for a year. They changed everything in the house, and gave away everything except two chains I had bought for them and pictures. They did keep Ava’s jewelry, books and pictures, and packed those away into a few boxes. The house changed and me with it, but it made no difference the memories were still there. So Baz sold my house and got me an apartment, the one I live in now. They eventually moved back to their own homes, but for a few months they took turns to stay with me, and then one day I wanted to be alone so I just kicked them out. The old Gabriel was dead and I needed to be reborn. No more mates, no more love. I was okay with leaving it all behind, that’s when Gabe the Trickster and Playboy was born.  But truthfully it never changed a thing, I still miss them every single day Jo. They were so tiny and so beautiful and I loved them so much… almost ten years have gone by and there’s not a single day I don’t miss them or think about them.”

For a moment none of them talk, they just lean against each other, arms wrapped and temples together. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but it’s a wound I think will never heal. He breaks the hug and takes potos out of his pocket, “This is Ava” he shows pictures himself holding a pregnant woman, they’re laughing, “She was a beautiful person, Jo, I don’t want you to feel threatened by her, because you are a beautiful person yourself. This photo was taken three weeks before she passed away”

He holds another photo; this one is showing Gabe holding two small bundles of sheets with faces, two tiny babies with open eyes looking at him. She takes a second to check the young Gabe’s expression, it’s half sorrow half happiness, so heartbreaking. He shows her two more pictures, one of each baby in their glass cribs.

Jo is openly crying now, “They were beautiful, Gabe. I’m so sorry, honey. I’m so so sorry” She looks at the floor for a second and then plants a soft kiss on his lips, just the lips touching and they remain there.

Gabe speaks into her lips, “There’s nothing to be sorry for. I had a mate and I lost her; nobody is gonna show up and steal me from you, Pumpkin. Please don’t leave me”

“No, no, no, Gabe… I lied… I told you the biggest lie of my life. I do love you; I love you so so so much” she says among kisses and tears. He looks at her with a sad smile.

“I always go to their tombs on Sundays, that’s why I always throw you out every Sunday afternoon. Would you join me today? I need to tell my babies that you’ve come back. I also want to tell Ava that she can rest now because I’m finally happy again”

“Of course, I’ll be glad to meet them, Gabe”

\--

A paralegal arrives at Novak & Novak offices the day before the trial, just minutes before 7 PM. Edlund & Shurley have sent them the necessary papers about Alfie’s appearance in court. The paralegal was given instructions to leave the envelope at the reception, get the receipt signed and tell the receptionist this exact phrase:

“ _Thank you. Please make sure to deliver this to your bosses right away._ ” After he hands over the papers he turns around and pulls his phone from his pocket to send a text to Chuck Shurley to let him know.

Chuck shuts his phones and brings his coffee up to toast with Caver. They know Lucifer won’t give a crap about an unmarked envelope delivered that late in the day… well, that’s NOT their problem.

After a few minutes another text is received.

“The envelope has been delivered,” Chuck reads out loud. Caver stands and they shake hands, their work is done.

One unmarked envelope delivered to Lucifer and another one marked as important and addressed to the Judge has been delivered to Court, now it really begins.

* * *

 

The day has arrived. The crowd talks among themselves and begin to quiet down as the bailiff's announcement of the court entering in session. The Judge leaves his chambers to surprisingly find the courtroom respectfully quiet.

“Let’s get this done. I’m getting sick of seeing you lot. The defense can start with their opening remarks,” the Judge tiredly instructs.

Chuck tells the story about the two oddest friends who attend culinary school with a dream. He tells him about the twins helping their little brother, about the bank loan and all the little details of how the restaurant came to life fulfilling the friends’ dream.

Lucifer opening is shorter and colder.

“This is not a fairy tale, this is a horror story. It’s the story of how a MetaAlpha was poisoned by jealous people among the lower branches of the designation tree. This is the story of how Steve Glover paid the price for someone else’s greed and voracity, an attempt to make him pay for his own designation supremacy, and the added bonus of a little publicity couldn’t hurt, right?” He states looking directly into his brother’s eyes, “And what better publicity than the one involving a MetaAlpha? No publicity is bad publicity, after all.”

Sighing, the Judge asks for the next witnesses, so Chuck stands up and makes his call.

“The defense calls Alfie Samandriel,” Chuck waits for Alfie to take his place. Dean crooks his lips into a faint smile at the sight of the MetaWife’s flinch when Alfie gets to the stand.

Chuck hears a rustle of papers over to his right.

“Your Honor we don’t have Alfie Samandriel on the witnesses list,” Emmanuel states.

“Oh, but we sent papers over to your office yesterday evening. It contained the witness list, Alfie’s confession; written and recorded.”

Ruby finds Lucifer’s expression hilarious. He quickly tries to mask it and begins to shuffle through papers.

“Mr. Novak, “the judge looks down at Lucifer, “the Court did receive that information yesterday evening. Mr. Shurley do you have any kind of proof that the folder was delivered to Novak & Novak?”

“Yes, your Honor, we have the signed receipt from his secretary,” Chuck approaches the clerk with said receipt.

“Everything seems to be in order. Mr. Emmanuel and Mr. Lucifer you should had these papers on file by now, it’s neither the Court nor the defense’s problem that you have some delivery issues in your firm. Yet I do not appreciate when one party is ill prepared for court so, against my better judgement, I’ll give you a few days to gather and analyze the information.” The judge looks over his glasses at the prosecution, “Don’t waste it Mr. Lucifer. For once use your time finding real information to work with instead of speculation. I’ll see you all on October 22th, same time.”

“The court raises,” the bailiff states as the courtroom erupts in noise.

Ruby is patiently waiting for everyone to say goodbye as she tries to process the reaction of the MetaWife in court today, when she feels something odd. Her vision blurs for a second and a warm sensation blooms in her core. She recognizes what this could be, but it’s too soon. This kind of connection shouldn’t happen for another two weeks at least, but here she is feeling her pup. The feelings that hit her are indescribable.

It’s almost overwhelming. She almost forgets about the lawsuit and approaches her brother-in-law and melts into a hug.

 

* * *

 

After a few days of daydreaming and doing some research over the internet, Ruby is distractedly reading a magazine, trying hard not to die of boredom. She’s lying on the bed, passing pages of some magazines she bought for Sally’s mom who is also in bed rest but for very different reasons. She had found an article that seemed fairly interesting about newborn babies and ways to increase their IQ.

What was that?

She feels something again… like a hint of the connection she felt in court. Now she feels it again, but stronger. Almost instantly she begins to doze off, she tried to fight it, but it’s a losing battle. In her sleep she begins to feel the connection as she did in the courtroom. There it is, a beautiful sensation of love, like a brush of joy to her soul, and yet another sensations… but it’s a softer one, sweeter. She suddenly wakes up and pays closer attention. Yes, there they are again, two caress against her soul almost at the same time. She can’t help it, tears of joy begin to fall across her cheeks.

She takes her phone and texts Sam.

**_«Sammy, I need you home, don’t linger after work. There’s something I need to tell you.»_ **

**«Are you ok? Is the baby ok? I’m about to enter a meeting»**

**_«We’re perfect. Just come home early»_ **

**«I’ll be there, honey. I love you»**

“I love you too,” she whispers as her eyes close and she falls asleep with a smile on the lips.

* * *

 

Jo’s been spending more and more time at Gabe’s, so Ruby makes dinner for the four Winchesters left. She misses the blonde twister but she’s happy for her. After the talk with Gabe the other day the two of them are helping each other to overcome it all. Ruby has a good feeling about them.

Sam arrives early just like he promised and she leads him to the bedroom, dinner is already prepared and it’s a quick cook, so there’s plenty of time for her plans until the other Winchester couple arrive home from work.

She plans to entertain him. Sex is getting better and it’s becoming a normal occurrence once again.

After the second orgasm and with the knot still in place, Sam regains the ability to form a sentence.

“You’re a little piece of…” but he doesn’t get to finish. Ruby grabs his face and kisses him deeply.

“I know… I’m perfect,” she says laughing with a smirk on her face.

“Yeah… I can’t argue that… is this why you wanted me home early, you naughty witch?”

“Part of it, yeah. But actually we need to talk to Dr, Hart for confirmation, but I’m kinda positive we’re gonna have twins!”

That shocks Sam to the point of almost forgetting about the knotting, making them both yelp in pain.

“Sorry… sorry _sorry_ … TWINS! Oh honey, that’s awesome news!” he hugs her closer.

Finding herself suddenly free of the knot, she invites him to shower so they can go downstairs and share the news with the newlyweds.

When Dean and Castiel arrive home, Ruby and Sam are setting the table. Ruby grabs both their hands and quickly gives them the good news. The two gather her into a tight hug  before sitting to have dinner together. Everyone’s mood has never been better.

* * *

 

It’s one of those rare evenings Cas gets to cook with Dean, so he takes full advantage of it; their side by side always managing to get a part of their bodies to touch, even if it’s only the brush of an elbow.

Chopping celery like the pro that he is Castiel distractedly says, “Love, I think it’s time; we should start looking for a house. I know… I know, we don’t have the money yet… pass me the garlic please,” he takes the cloves Dean is holding out for him with a smile, “It’s just that the trial is about to be over and maybe then we could start looking for a place…”

“Uh… maybe. I’m doing well but not _that_ well. I think Santa Monica is out of the question, you know all the houses here are mansions and way too big for us anyway, not to mention insanely expensive.” Dean shakes his head when his mate starts to protest, “Look, I know alright? I also love to be close to everyone, but…” the sad look in Castiel’s eyes is too much for him and Dean has to trail off, “Okay, say we decide about that later… deal?”

He cleans his hands on a kitchen rag and hugs Castiel from behind, peering over his shoulder at him mincing the garlic. He turns at Sam’s clearing his throat.

“Er… guys, you know we’re standing right here?” he turns to Ruby, sitting next to him, “You think we could…” he trails off, his eyebrows lifted in a question.

She smiles knowingly, nods and says smiling, “Definitely, yes.”

“Okay, then. You can stay here, we’ve said so before, guys. I’m not saying forever, we’re not binding you to us, it’s just that with Ben turning 13 in about what… two hours?” Dean laughs a little, “And him being a Meta and all… you know what that means Dean. Messy months are coming and a lot of parenting is going to be needed. You’ve done this before, you have to remember how stressful it all is.” He reminds his big brother who did the whole thing for him. Dean nods.

Sam turns to face Ruby, “Bobby came to live to Lawrence for almost three years, you know my Dad was on the road and shit, but Bobby stayed until I got my head out my ass. I was so out of control that I wouldn’t even listen to Dean.” his face beginning to redden, “I smoked, partied… drank. I flirted and made out with almost every girl I could and even some boys. Lucky, I wasn’t so far gone that I had sex, I still believed that sex was something too important to waste with a meaningless relationship. Other than that restriction, I was a wreck,” Cas is also watching him as he tells his story, shocked at what he’s learning about his perfect brother-in-law, “I was a walking hormone and a pheromone magnet with a Titanium Credit Card and a Meta ID. I was rebellious, it didn’t last longer than a few months but it was pretty… intense.”

“Intense doesn’t begin to describe it dude, it was like the worst ten months period EVER! The only thing you didn’t do was drugs. I think you had mentally drawn a line there, thank God for the little miracles, I guess.” Dean shrugs a little.

“Well, yeah. It was only a few months but if not for someone snapping me out of it I don’t know what would have happened to me.” He looks at Dean with a thankful look in the eyes and a sweet childish smile, “That person made me understand that being a Meta was something more than what everyone else told me. That there was a reason for me to exist and that I had to discover it. He gave me a hint of what being more than my designation could be, and he promised that if I kept it up he’d kick my sorry ass. So, you can call that a miracle… I call it _you_ Dean. I don’t think I will ever thank you enough.”

He hugs Ruby, caressing her belly. “Thank you, Bro. I don’t think I would have survived without you.” Sam gets up and moves closer to his big brother, “Not when I was presented a Meta or back when I was six months old and Mom died… thank you for everything.” He hugs Dean with one arm and gets punched in the other by his brother.

“Hey! Enough with the chick flick moment, dude!” Dean says pushing him off of him, laughing to hide the tears.

“Yeah… yeah… I love you too, Bro.” Sam smiles.

“Of course you do! I’m freaking awesome, dude!” Dean says turning around to pretend to chop something, muttering a “Love you too, Bitch” barely audible. Castiel is close enough to hear it and tilts his head, giving his husband a tender look and a pat on the back that ends in a caress.

Sam takes three beers from the fridge, hands two to the cooks and goes to sit by Ruby. He opens his bottle, takes a swing and distractedly continues, “Anyway, I was thinking that since you’ll need help with Ben and the school is so close, we can keep him on a short leash… he’s a good kid but hormones will drive him crazy. _And_ he already has a bedroom set here.” All three are looking at him, Sam is on a roll. He speaking so fast that all his words are running together… he’s kinda cute, “All I ever wanted was to have my family with me. The house is huge, we could even split it in two; a wing for you and Cas and another for Ruby and me. I don’t think Jo will ever leave Gabe’s apartment anyway. I mean… think about it!”

“Jo will probably want to keep her bedroom for appearances purposes, at least for a while, but you’re right there. I don’t think they’re gonna ever want to spend any nights apart, if they can help it,” Ruby points out.

“What I mean is, we have ten bedrooms, 11.5 bathrooms, a pool, even the guest house is perfect for when someone is in heat, and we have room for four cars and a garden for ten dogs to run freely. We have plenty of room. This house should be filled with the laughter of happy kids, and not just ours. What I’m saying is… please stay?”

Dean and Cas look at each other, thinking over the offer. Dean lifts his eyebrows and looks to his husband, giving him the chance to accept or decline. Castiel looks over to Dean and smiles, “Okay. I love this house too. It’s amazing and beautiful and I love it all the more because you guys make it a home. I think we can live here for a while, thanks Sam.”

Sam laughs and Ruby squeals as she claps her hands, tears already falling, “Oh don’t mind me… it’s all the hormones… I’ll be laughing my ass off in a few minutes,” she says when the guys give her a worried look.

“Alright then, it’s settled. Thank you guys, really. Now the difficult part… I’ll have to talk to Lisa… that’s not gonna be an easy one…”

Castiel smiles and pecks him on the lips, “We’ll manage it, you’ll see.”

“I hope so Cas. I’d love to have my son around for more than just a few days a month.”

His husband gives him a reassuring smile, but deep inside Cas can feel his mating instincts. He hopes to shield his mate from whatever confrontation waits ahead.

* * *

 

Coffee in hand, Sam sits at his desk and starts his computer, for the past few months he’s been doing his own research and skyping with colleges from all around the world; specialists in Omegas’ medical treatment, doctors who have dealt with patients in similar conditions to Dylan’s. Last night, in one of their sessions, Sam found three doctors who have treated Omegas with the kid’s blood type. They compared notes and shared their experimental treatment results.

Sam’s college was shocked by the success of Dylan’s treatment. He’s not cured but he’s doing better and better. The cancer cells are shrinking and haven’t shown any signs of  reproducing. What is bothering Sam is how to kill the cancer cells without having to result to chemo.

He’s a little more at ease with the cancer’s retreat. He now has more time for research and he can finally start a proper investigation without fear of the kid getting worse by the minute. Problem is that, despite all that, he doesn’t know how much time Dylan _actually_ has.

 


	40. With every beat of my heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the patience!!  
> We are almost at the end of the road. We want to thank every person who take the road with us. We also want to thank every new person who hop on every stop... We love you!!!

With every beat of my heart

I ll make a wish for your love

With every breath that I take

There s nothing more that I want

Than to stay with you

With every beat of my heart

* * *

 

It’s October 22nd and the only thing interrupting the Winchester family’s peace is the trial. They arrived together at the courthouse hopeful. They open the doors to find the Novak brothers expressionless and the perpetual smirk on Lucifer’s face gone. On the other hand the defense looks to be in better spirits. Chuck has a small smile on his face as he rearranges papers in front of him and Castiel sits calmly beside him. 

Dean leans over to talk to Castiel, “Your brothers look kinda embarrassed, don’t they?”

“One could guess but from the look of them who knows. Luci has always managed to be a dick regardless of the odds,” Cas whispers back. He turns around quickly at the sound of the judge leaving his chambers. The bailiff asks everyone to stand. 

“You may be seated,” the judge says, “Good morning. Did the prosecution have enough time to review the new information?”

Lucifer nods and stands up, “Yes your Honor. We call to the stand Mr. Alfie Samandriel.”

Alfie sits on the bench with a resigned look as he takes the oath and waits.

“Mr. Samandriel I have your statement here. Would you say you told all those lies at the restaurant because it was more convenient at the time? You know with a man dying and all,” Lucifer then waves his original statement in the air. 

“Objection!” Chuck says throughout the courtroom. 

Alfie quickly holds out his hand before the judge can say anything, “No it’s ok, I’ll answer the question,” He then turns back to Lucifer, “No, I wouldn’t,” he says calmly. Alfie is tired of all the lies and all the stress that comes with it, he just wants to tell the truth now. 

“Then help me out here Mr. Samandriel, but why would a young man such as yourself, lie to the court?”

“I lied then, yes, but I’m not lying now,” Alfie makes sure to keep his voice calm and void of emotion. Dean is impressed; he knows he would have taken offense. He wonders how Alfie is keeping calm. 

“So you did this by your own account,” Lucifer turns his back to Alfie and goes to his side of the court to distractedly throw papers on top of the table, “And NOW you’re saying that your former employers had no knowledge of the crime.” He turns to face Alfie again and begins to walk back to the stand. 

“Exactly, sir. The only person who knew about this is… my former lover, not Castiel or Charlie,” Emmanuel smiles when he hears this. Lucifer on the other hand out right laughs.

“Oh yes. The mysterious woman whose name you refuse to provide. I think you’re lying. You made up this woman so that the defense won’t be charged. You hold back enough information hoping that this will help Mr. Novak’s case, but truthfully you’re accomplishing nothing. You do know what perjury is, Mr. Samandriel? Your lawyer must at least have told you what that is.”

“Your Honor!” Chuck yells as he abruptly stands.

“Mr. Novak, I won’t allow you to bully testimonies out of witnesses. Make your point or sit down,” the judge states in a harsh voice. 

“Okay Alfie, let me say that I don’t believe what you are saying about Castiel’s innocence. Why should I believe you about this woman? You have been refusing to even state her name or describe her appearance to the police. You say you’re helping, but are you really?”

“I am telling you the truth. Telling anyone her name won’t help my case, so what’s the point. I just hope that she will do what’s right and come forward herself.”

“So if I understand correctly… she’s in this room,” Lucifer presses while taking seat to browse through some papers.

Alfie seems to think for a moment and with a knowing smirk he answers, “Responding to that question would be acknowledging her presence here today, and I already said that I will not help you.”

Ruby lets out a muffled snort. Alfie’s lawyer is good, and she has to give him credit for keeping calm and not letting the prosecution distract him. Even though he’s not on trial today, anything that he says would be held against him when his time comes. She is brought from her thought when Lucifer rises again to stand in front of Alfie. 

“I think the reason to refuse to name this woman is because your partner is someone that works at the restaurant. After all, who else would benefit from the publicity but its owners? 

“Well, if that’s what you think Sir, I’d have to say you have no clue about restaurant managing. Bad publicity for a restaurant is a death sentence; it’s doomed to fail once word gets around. Would you eat at a restaurant where people were poisoned? No… I didn’t think so,” he says dismissively.

“So what you’re saying is that the reason the Angel’s Pit has had an increase in revenue and caterings in the last few months is that the restaurant has received bad publicity and it’s ‘ _doomed to fail’_?”

“People like to gossip and snoop around. They come for a glance of infamy, but you need regulars to make a restaurant work, not a quick fad. Any restaurant with a food malfunction on this scale is doomed. And about the catering I don’t know… you’ll have to ask them.”

“Alfie, you do understand that retracting your previous statement about your former employers and refusing to identify your mysterious partner will get you prosecuted as the sole member of the crime.”

“I’m aware, trust me. My lawyer has been trying to get me to change my testimony, but I’m doing the right thing. I’m. Not. Lying,” Alfie states clearly.

Lucifer sits down and Emmanuel turns to the judge and states, “No further questions, your Honor.”

The Judge nods and addresses Chuck, “Does the defense have any questions for Mr. Samandriel?”

“No, your Honor. We believe that the tape and written confession speak for themselves.”

“Alright, you may step down Mr. Samandriel.”

Charlie and Cas are called in time and questioned about the Saturday waiting list and the catering uplifting. Lucifer is pulling at straws. All he can ask are questions that are only clarifying everyone’s testimonies. It makes Cas feel positive about the hearing as he answers all of Lucifer’s questions without fear. The judge soon calls for a recess and asks for all required to return at 2PM. 

Small talk.

That’s what the Winchesters do when they sit down at the nearest diner to grab lunch. They have been under so much stress during the trial that now that the end is near, and possibly in their favor, everyone feels at ease. So what do Winchesters do when they’re in a good mood? Well, they eat of course. 

Everyone is suddenly starving. Dean can barely join in on the conversation for the reason that he’s too busy shoving burgers and pie into his mouth, while Sam and Cas stare on in horror at his poor table manners. Of course Ruby is giving Dean a run for his money ordering more than even Sam can imagine himself eating. 

Castiel’s timer on his phone goes off. They quickly call for the check and return to both the court and reality. They arrive on time and patiently wait for the judge to arrive. A few minutes later the judge walks into the room looking one last time at the evidence before he lifts his gaze.

“Misters Novak,” He says to his left. He then turns to his right and says, “Mr. Winchester-Novak and Ms. Bradbury,” they all stand and await his judgement.

“Mr. Samandriel will have his own trial for his crime at another time with another court, but at this time I will rule on the charges against Ms. Bradbury and Mr. Winchester-Novak. Ms. Bradbury, Mr. Winchester-Novak, there isn’t any evidence of you having a part of the poisoning so I release you both of all charges. Nonetheless the restaurant and its employees were your responsibly. This has happened under both of your supervisions and neither of you thought to watch your employees more closely when dealing with such an important customer. Because of this Mr. Samandriel was able to poison him. To me this is unacceptable and I hereby fine the Angel’s Pit $100,000. You have two options, either pay within the period of time that I will determine at another time or go to jail.”

Castiel face looks like someone had just punched him in the gut. Dean notices and stiffens when he realizes that he can’t reach out and comfort his husband. 

“And you two,” the judge continues, pointing at the older Novaks, “This hearing was a charade! Not only do you go against your own blood but you do so eagerly. I hope to never see you two again.”

“You,” he points to Alfie and his lawyer, “You better tell your client to disclose this woman’s name if he knows what’s good for him. She’s a criminal and need to pay for what she’s done.”

When it’s time to address the defense table, his voice softens but doesn’t lose its authoritative tone, “And good luck to you two,” he points at Castiel and Charlie.

“Court is adjourned,” he methodically knocks his gavel and leaves the courtroom.

Castiel turns and immediately shakes Chuck and Carver’s hands. He hugs Charlie and turns quickly to look for Dean. He’s there in an instant and wrapping his arms around his neck in a heartbeat making him laugh despite the bittersweet feeling that the verdict has left him with. They all turn and watch as Alfie is escorted away by police. His faith is in his own hands. No matter what mistakes he has made, Castiel can’t help but think that he’s not a bad kid, he wishes him luck. 

“What is it, Cas?” Sam asks concerned at the somber look on Cas’ face.

“Nothing, it’s good in a way, you know, all the charges dropped and our names cleared… but the Angel’s Pit future…” he says lowering his voice. Dean looks at him questioningly and he leans in to whisper, “The fine is huge Dean, we can’t afford it… at least not without a loan or selling the restaurant.”  


Of course Sam hears everything and leans in startling them both when he speaks, “We could loan you the money, and you know it’s no problem at all.”

Ruby happily joins in on the conversation, taking Castiel’s hand in her own, “Yes! It would be no problem.”

Cas looks at her grinning face but shakes his head, “No guys, I can’t accept this. Not only is it too much money but you two are expecting a baby. There will be bills and clothes and… and furniture for the nursery! You guys do so much for me and Dean already, I can’t accept this.”

 

“Oh man! You’re incredibly stubborn, you know that? And here I thought that Dean was the most stubborn person that I know, but you brother, you’re making a dash for first.”

Sam walks around Castiel and takes Ruby by the hand as they all start moving out of the courthouse. He tries to lean in closer so he can catch the end of the conversation between the twins and Castiel.

“Come on Cassie, no more but. We’ll loan you and Charlie the money,” Gabriel says happily as he winks and grabs Jo around her waist.

“Of course we will, lad,” Baz’s voice cuts in, “just try to stop us!... I do have some conditions though.”

“Really Baz, I wonder what they could possibly be?” Castiel laughs, visibly more relaxed than he was only a few moments ago. 

“I demand paperwork signed in blood, your first born child named after me AND dinner every Friday for two.”

Charlie, who is walking next to Dean laughs as she smiles at Castiel. Castiel smiles back as they walk together down the street. Maybe the judgement wasn’t as bittersweet as he first thought. He could already see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

* * *

 

It’s now November and Dean is still working his ass off at his job. He needs to make up for the time off he asked for but truthfully he just loves his job. Castiel is proud of him and loves seeing the smile on his face at the end of every day. Anyone else would be upset at having a workaholic for a husband, but Dean always makes sure to spend any time he has left with him. 

They spend their time together cooking or just wrapped around each other on the sofa watching TV. They also have a few places at Winchester Manor to call their own, where they just enjoy each other's company. 

That’s what they are doing now as they sit by the pool. They are lying together on a lounge chair watching the sunset and talking about their day. Dean looks down his nose as he  _feels_ Cas looking intently at him.

“What?!” 

“Love you realize it’s already November right?” 

“Yeah, so?”

“Dean, you haven’t talked to Lisa about Ben moving to California. If we want Ben to start school after the Christmas break we should start moving things in the right direction.”

“Uh… yeah. But I can’t ask something like that over the phone right?”

Castiel looks up adoringly at Dean, as he rubs his chest, “Say we take a road trip?”

“Fuck yeah! I’ve been working two Saturdays in a row. I could take Friday off and spend the weekend there. You up for it?”

“Up for it? I fucking suggested it, Love! Let’s go back inside and call Lisa. You wouldn’t want to arrive unannounced, now would you?”

“No way! Ben will love the surprise. Let’s go!” Dean grabs Cas hand to help him stand up and walk toward the house to make the phone call.

When Friday arrives Dean and Castiel have everything ready. Despite Dean’s complains Ruby is sending some video games that Sam had ordered for Ben as well as some Doctor Who collectables. 

The road trip is nice. Castiel takes a while to gaze out the window and appreciate the way the road seems to soothe him. No wonder Dean loves road trips. He closes his eyes and lays his head on the headrest to enjoy the cool wind coming in from the open window as his mind wanders about how his life has changed in just a few months. Even his relationship with Dean has changed, and he doesn’t think it has to do with the marriage itself but with the mutual trust and confidence they have in each other. Where in the beginning they use to have never-ending conversations to get to know each other, they now share companionable silence. Castiel opens his eyes blinking lazily and smiling fondly at his husband. Castiel’s chest swells with the knowledge that this is it, Dean is his forever. There isn’t a void that he feels like he needs to fill anymore, and it is a wonderful feeling. 

Less than eight hours and Castiel is stopping Baby in front of Lisa’s house. He doesn’t even get to take the key off the ignition when Ben rushes out of the front door. Dean jumps out and opens his arms to receive his son in a tight hug.

“Dad! I missed you!” the kid whispers in Dean’s ear, his voice cracked with emotion.

“Missed you too, kiddo” Dean replied as he tries to hide the emotion in his own voice. 

After a few seconds they pull apart and Ben hugs his stepfather as tightly as he can. “Missed you too, Papa Cas.” The smile that appears on the Omega’s face at those words is priceless to Dean.

Castiel smiles at Dean and kisses the top of Ben’s head, “How you’ve been Ben?”

“Great, Papa. Dad… dad!! I have a million things to show you! I wrote a paper and got an A+, this girl named Susan gave me a card… it’s a heart shape card! You wanna see it?” Ben says in a rush, taking his Dad’s hand and dragging him towards the house. Dean looks over his shoulder at a laughing Castiel as he lets himself be pulled away. 

“I don’t think I like her though, but it was nice of her. I’m skyping daily with Natasha, Papa Cas’ niece… she’s cool! Her brother is not. At first he was annoyed by me until he found out that I’m a Meta, now he’s dying to be my friend. I don’t like him, Dad… do I have to be his friend? ‘Cuz I don’t wanna. I like being Natz’ friend.” Ben blushes as he says it, “Is it okay to be friend with only one of them? Oh! Oh! I made a gazillion points in Halo! You wanna play? I’m sure I’m gonna beat you this time Dad! Don’t laugh Papa Cas, I’m gonna beat you at Mario Kart too… been practicing.” 

Ben shoves his head through the door and screams his lungs out, “MOM! DAD AND PAPA CAS ARE HERE!” he then turns back, “Can we have ice cream after dinner? Can we get pizza tonight? Papa Cas can we make cookies together? Dad, are you here to talk to Mom? Papa Chad says you were a cute couple at the wedding, I think you were the coolest one ever… PAPAAAAAAAAAAAAA, MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM… where are you? Dad! Dad! Can I…”

“Whoa kiddo, breath! You’re gonna pass out! We’re gonna be here up till Monday. Don’t rush! I can’t actually remember half of your questions. Let’s go in first… okay?” Dean says trying to stop Ben’s waterfall of words.

The door opens and Lisa and Chad greet them and invite them in. Dean kisses Lisa on the cheek and shakes Chad’s hand, “Hey man, and thanks for having us.”

Dean walks in as Cas shakes Chad hand and is about to do the same with Lisa when she hugs him and whispers in his ear, “Hope we can become friends… someday,” but he just looks at her with vacant eyes and goes after Dean without answering. Lisa closes the door with a sigh.

Chad tells Dean and Cas that he'll take them to their room and as they go upstairs, Dean turns around and tells Ben, “I’ll be back” with a deep voice, making Ben burst into an uncontrollable laugh.

“Ohhh Dad don’t Terminator me. Hurry up back there's soooooooooooo much I have to tell you!”

Dean unpacks as Castiel takes a shower and then he takes one too. Feeling cleaning, Dean straightens the collar of Cas’ shirt as he leans in for a kiss. Being in a guest room in the house of Dean’s ex makes no difference as Dean deepens the kiss. They kiss senseless until Castiel forces himself to push away from Dean when he feels his husband harden. They move apart effortlessly and begin to talk about the restaurant; anything to help the Alpha’s dick go back to sleep. It’s not an easy task but eventually they succeed.

When they arrive to the kitchen there’s beer and some snacks laid out on the table. They all sit down and ask each other about their lives’ as Ben constantly shouts out about school and video games. Only a few minutes later everyone is immersed in the conversation, but Lisa knows better, so she places a homemade pie in front of Dean. Dean’s grin is all it takes to make Castiel happy at this moment, even with Lisa’s attempt at buying his husband with food. 

Dean is quick to take a piece and shove some into his mouth. The pie is not as good as Cas’, but it's’ delicious all the same. Come on it’s chocolate; nothing can go wrong when there’s chocolate in it. 

“I gotta give it to you Lis, you still can make a damn fine pie,” Dean says while reaching over the table for a second slice. 

“No!” Castiel slaps his hand and takes the pie further away from Dean, “One is enough. After dinner you’ll have some more and again tomorrow and the day after. You’re not twelve, show some self-control, Love.” He says kissing the Alpha’s temple.

“You are a mean husband,” Dean pouts, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, I love you too,” Castiel replies making Dean smile.

“Oh, c’mon guys! Enough with the newlywed schmoop, your making me gag,” Lisa laughs, “I assume you’re not here only to see Ben, are you?” She dismisses her husband as Chad opens his mouth to tell her to let them be.

“You’re right Lis, but how about we do it when Ben is in bed or maybe tomorrow morning… Oh don’t look like that, it’s nothing bad, so stop worrying woman. It’s just something me and Cas have been thinking about and we need to discuss it with you two.”

The pout on Ben’s face can rival Dean’s as he glares at his four parents. He knows they’re going to talk about him when he’s forced to bed, so he does what eleven years old do best, he takes advantage of it. 

“Dad! DAD! You’ve promised me pizza!” Ben then tries his best puppy dog face, which only causes Dean to burst into laughter. Castiel then leans over as the pout starts to reappear on Ben’s face and ruffles his hair. 

“Okay, little squirrel we will. But before we do that, how about you tell your old man everything you were telling me at the door earlier. Now I remember you saying something about Emmanuel's kids. If you don’t feel like being friends with Natasha’s brother you don’t have to. Nobody can force you to be friends with anyone you don’t like as long as you are polite… but what about Natasha? She’s nice, right?” Dean then winks at Ben causing him to blush. 

“Yeah, she’s cool. We like a lot of the same things… she’s nice and all…and…” he trails off, as he looks at his lap blushing a little more.

“Awwww!” Dean teases him, “Lisa, Honey look! He’s got a little crush.”

Ben folds his arms in front, and with a serious face he pouts, “NO… I don’t!” this of course convinces no one.

“Oh yes you do… it’s so cute… you should see him when she comes online,” Lisa laughs endearingly.

Castiel and Chad sit back and watch the banter between Dean and Lisa, until Ben stands up and shouts, “Stop talking about me! I’m right here!” everyone burst into laughter as Dean reaches for Ben before he can run out the room. 

“Try and make us, we’re your parents. We’re allowed to do that.” Dean laughs.

Ben rapidly turns a bright shade of crimson, it’s impressive. He’s quick to change the subject, “Hey Dad, wanna play Halo? I’ll kick your butt this time, I know it.”

“Butt?! Language there buddy,” Dean laughs, “But yeah, let’s play.” Ben all but drags Dean into the TV room. 

Cas laughs as he watches this as he stays in the kitchen. He then realizes that he’s alone now in the kitchen with Lisa and Chad. To say it’s uncomfortable is an understatement. Last time Castiel was alone with Lisa he was pissed beyond belief, and Dean may have forgiven her, but he hasn’t. The things that she had done to Dean are unforgivable in his eyes. Winchesters may be stubborn but if it’s one thing a Novak knows how to do, its hold a grudge. 

Lisa seems to sense it, or maybe it just shows on his face. All he knows is that she’s walking over to where he’s leaning on the counter, and he doesn’t want to talk to her. He turns to go but before he reaches the door Lisa cuts off his retreat. 

“Cas, please. Can we talk?” She puts her hand to his chest and he recoils from her touch, “Look, I know it won’t change anything but I wanted to say how sorry I am.” 

Castiel stands tall as he looks down at her. He tilts his head slightly as if trying to figure out if she’s being honest. Castiel hopes that his face is empty of all emotion as he takes a deep breath and opens his mouth to speak.

“Lisa. I don’t want to say anything that might start an argument since you and your husband have not only been kind enough to let us spend time with Ben, but stay in your house, which has made my husband incredibly happy. So let me tell it to you straight… I don’t like you. Dean may have forgiven you the minute his dream became reality, HELL, he has pretty much forgotten that you lied to him for eleven years,” Castiel then reaches down and politely removes Lisa’s hand from his chest and holds it before letting it drop, “but I haven’t.” Lisa then looks up at the Castiel after he says this and sees the look on his face. She takes a step back and opens her mouth to reply, but he quickly cuts her off before she can spill out even more excuses. 

“Truthfully, I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive you for what you have done to him, I’ll be polite and courteous to you and your husband, and I’ll be there when Ben needs me. I’ll be the best father I can be, and let me say that I’m not sorry for anything that I’ve said right now. So Lisa, Dean is going to have a very important conversation with you tomorrow, so before you make your decision you better remember what you have done not only to Dean but to Ben as well… just think about what I’ve said.” Without waiting for a reply, Castiel turns and leaves the kitchen and sits beside Dean in the TV room. Lisa watches him walk over and sit beside Dean, his mood changes in the blink of an eye.

The rest of the afternoon is a peaceful one. The five of them play Halo and Mario Kart until their stomachs force them to go out for pizza and ice cream. That night as they crawl into bed in the Campbell’s guestroom, Dean couldn’t be happier. Castiel looks up at Dean as he pulls him closer and sees that he’s positively glowing. It makes Castiel want to forget about the lies, the distance, and the decisions that have to be made about Ben and his future with Dean. He turns and pulls Dean down for quick kiss.

They fall asleep wrapped around each other, searching for comfort in the other even in their sleep. 

The next morning Ben has swimming practice. Ben’s not too thrilled about this, he was hoping that he could get out of the class, but Dean says that he will have all weekend with him. Ben agrees but he demands Dean and Castiel to take him on a road trip. Right as Dean agrees to Ben’s terms a woman knocks at the door. It’s Mrs. Connell and she’s here to pick up Ben to take him and her son Fergus to the meeting. 

“Seriously… Fergus? My God, some people shouldn’t be allowed to name their kids,” Dean says as he closes the door huffing out a laugh. 

“You’re telling _me_ ,” Cas distractedly as he suddenly finds himself cocooned in Dean’s arms.

They head to the kitchen to have a coffee and finally have the talk. Dean knows he can’t procrastinate any longer. It is now or never.

Castiel stands with his back to the table preparing French Toast as he glances at Lisa out of the corner of his eye. She’s already eating toast with the newspaper displayed in front of her. Chad is leaning against the counter holding out his mug while Dean grabs the coffee pot to refill their mugs. Dean then takes a deep breath and says, “Lisa, can we talk? All of us.”

Lisa quickly glances at Cas then nods. Chad follows without a word, and Cas has to wonder whether the guy is mute. 

“Okay then Dee, what’s up?” Lisa remains calm but Castiel can see the subtle change in her breathing and the grip on her mug. He doesn’t pity her. 

“Yeah, ok… well… let’s see… I… _we_ were thinking… well wondering if…? I don’t know, maybe this is a dumb idea… and you’ll be pissed but I truly think it’s for the best and…”

“Love, you’re babbling,” Castiel says as he takes his hand over the table and leans to speak in his ear, “I know it’s hard but you can do this… If not, would you want to me to say it?” he offers.

“No Babe, I can do it.” Dean kisses him on the cheek, “Thanks.”

He looks up from the table to finally meet Lisa’s eyes, “I think it would be better if Ben comes to live in California.” Now that he’s started he can’t seem to stop, and everything seems to come out in a rush, “The Meta laws are better for him… you know, less restrictive. Ben can have more opportunities without worrying about the law holding him back and I know this will be difficult for you because you probably don’t want to move.” Chad unexpectedly opens his mouth to say something and Dean is quick to cut him off. Cas tries his best not to find it amusing, “Because we know that if Ben moves you will too so you can stay close, and I don’t want to separate my son from his mother and stepfather… Did you know that California has top rated mixed schools? I don’t know about you but I want my son to go to a mixed school where he can learn about and interact with kids from other designations. I don’t want our son to turn into some snot nosed brat when he gets older. I want him to learn about the options that he has for his future and he can make them without presumptions.” This time it’s Lisa that opens her mouth to interrupt but Dean is on a roll and he knows he can’t stop now. 

“No Lis, not now. Don’t say anything please. I want you and Chad to think about it… talk to Ben and see what he thinks. Look into the school and stuff. Don’t take this and what I said at face value, do some research, and then make your decision. I hope you two decide to move to California. I won’t be mad if you decide differently, but I would like to help raise my kid.”

Dean makes sure not to mention the eleven years that he has already missed out on. That’s just ammunition for Lisa to reply with a quick no. He wants to talk this out with her, not make her emotional. It would accomplish nothing. 

Castiel then takes a sip of his coffee and putting on his fakest smile says, “Yes Lis, please think about it,” he makes sure to stare at her for a second longer than necessary before taking another sip of his coffee. He hasn’t told Dean about yesterday and he never will, he wants this to work out for Dean. Dean deserves to be happy.

After the tense conversation the rest of the weekend goes by smoothly. Dean makes sure to have his  _road trip_ with Ben after picking him up from swimming practice. For two hours it’s just nothing but his family, the road and his Baby. Dean can’t remember seeing his husband laugh so much, it’s perfect. Once they make it back to the house they pull out the board games. Dean, Cas, Ben and Chad play Sorry as Lisa cooks dinner in the kitchen. On Sunday, Castiel tells Lisa that he’s happy to take over kitchen duties and makes his fancy burgers. Everyone is amazed with the burgers and Lisa is even able to get the recipe from him, which amazes Dean to no end. 

It’s now Sunday afternoon and it’s time to go, Santa Monica is calling. Dean and Castiel say their goodbyes and jump in the car to head home. Dean cranks up the music and drives in silence. He loves that what he has with Cas doesn’t need to be validated with words. Dean reaches over and brushes the back of his hand against Cas’ jaw feeling the stubble from his five o’clock shadow. The touch doesn’t lead to anything else; it’s just a caress, a simple display of affection. Dean feels good, Lisa and Chad promise to think about their proposition, and his Baby is purring away. It’s a great feeling. 

* * *

 

November comes to its end and the weather is a bit chiller, even for California. Dean feels a little dissociated, missing the cold from Sioux Falls and finding hard to get used to the nonstop hot days in California. 

The family is happy, and ‘happy’ suits them all. 

Ruby is mad because nobody lets her do squat, Sam has even hired a new maid to help Sally around and now Ruby is not allowed to even clear the table after lunch. She’s happy though, the baby is growing just fine and she feels great; Dean can tell that underneath the mask of nuisance, she’s enjoying being pampered for once in her lifetime.

Ruby and Sam have an appointment with the Obgyn today. If prompted to bet, she’s bet her ass that she’s carrying twins, given the connection she feels with both babies but they want to make it official. Cedar Sinai waiting room is crowded but Cas is informed to bring her to a quieter place to wait for Sam, who’s already in the hospital doing his rounds. Castiel drove his friend, happy to spend time with her. He took the long route to get to the hospital, so that Ruby could enjoy the view and clear her head. 

“Ruru, do you want me to stay and drive you back home? I got nothing else to do, anyway… I could take you to pick up ice cream for the pie.”

“That would be great, Cassie, but I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting for ever… this might take a while.” She says looking at the waiting room to their left full of people. 

“Well, Dean is at work, I don’t want to think what Jo and Gabe might be doing given my brother has been ignoring my calls for two hours now, and I have no job to go to. So I’m not only free but also fucking bored. Don’t make me go back to the house… I’ll probably bake some cookies and eat them all before you return home… I bet I’ll get fat and he’ll leave me. I need to find something to do soon… I just cannot think of anything I like… Be a good friend and save me from my misery.”

“Oh, Cassie” she pats his cheek, “First, you won’t eat all the cookies… you’ll save some for Dean. Second, you won’t get fat because you burn like a million calories every Heat. Third, boy… have you ever _seen_ the way he looks at you? To him, you’re the one holding the Sun, the Moon and the Stars, all of it in the blue of your eyes. He’s so afraid of losing you that if you ever ask him to stop eating burgers he’ll do it; you just ask him to do anything and he’ll do it without hesitation. No, honey… he’ll never leave you and if _you_ ever leave him… he’ll probably drive his Baby until passing away. You’ve got nothing to worry about. And fourth, yes, Cassie, you can stay here with me. I wouldn’t want anyone else to keep me company… well, maybe Sam… but you know…” 

Cas looks amused and sits next to her, “Rurru, Dean has nothing to worry about. He could murder someone and I still would refuse to leave him. Now, let’s go to confirm your babies. I bet we have a Tomas and a Daniel.”

“Nuh-uh, told you, we have a Tomas and a Maison” She smiles past through him and he just knows Sam has arrived from his round. They pat their shoulders and Sam and Ruby are called to consult. Castiel patiently waits for his friends, reading some emails on his phone and lifts his head when he hears a little scream, a heavy voice and a cry. He knows the confirmation is there. They will have two little people joining this family in a few months. He smiles wide at the thought. After a while, all teary, Sam stands in front of him and lifts Castiel from his chair and hugs him, Castiel pats his back laughing.

“She was fucking right, Cas! Tomas and Maison, she’s talking to the technician about her designation. Shit! I have to call Dean and Ellen and Bobby and Jo… and I need… OMG Cas, we’re gonna have twins!”

“Fuck, I lost a bet. Congratulations, Sam. I’m happy for you two!” he pats Sam on the back.

“What bet did you lose, Cassie? OHHHHHHH, well… it could be worse. You could have won and he’d have to suck it up and stuff… Pun SO intended” Ruby winks.

“You know what?” Sam frowns, lips twisted down, “I’m so happy I won’t even bother to call it gross. Let’s go home and celebrate.”

“What? You realize it’s 11 AM, right? Your shift ends at 4PM Samuel Tristan… you have a family to look after now. Behave, man!”

“Yeah... yeah… I don’t care about my shift, I wanna celebrate.”

“I said no. Cassie and I are gonna cook a decent dinner and we’ll properly celebrate with your siblings. Tomorrow we’ll invite my family and drop the bomb.”

“Okay, okay… Gosh, I never get to do what I want… alright, I’ll go to work. Now, kiss me, you three!” Ruby tip toes to meet Sam halfway him coming down to kiss her, and Castiel laughs.

Castiel drives Miss Ruby back home, making a little stop to buy groceries for the improvised party and ice cream as promised. They buy twice as much as they were going to buy, they’re gonna get rid of the evidence before dinner time.

Ruby calls Jo and asks her to be home with Gabe for dinner and then she joins Cas in the kitchen. Dean comes home early and crooks an eyebrow at the cheerful mood of the two cooks but the only answer he gets is a kiss from his husband and a shush to go straight to shower.

When Gabe and Jo arrive, Dean is about to snap  _because nobody tells him anything_ ; they’re forced to sit in front of the computer and Sam starts a Skype session to chat with Ellen and Bobby, Ash can be seen in the back. Sam and Ruby announce the news and then it’s all cheers and laughs and tears. 

Later that night Cas pays his debt and Dean loses track of time and space; being on the receiving end of the longest blow job ever is messing with his head. Not that you can hear him waning, well… not to complain at least; he ends being a writhing mess underneath Castiel’s fingers and mouth. 

Cas goes to sleep with a smile in his face, not allowing Dean to return the favor. 

* * *

 

It’s November the 26 th and Castiel is procrastinating. There’s a heap of papers staring menacingly back at him from his desk. He has forms to be signed and a restaurant to reopen… or possibly close, because of this he can’t touch the papers looming over his head. The decisions he needs to make scare him, so he decides to ignore them. Charlie calls and texts every day, but after a week of realizing that it wasn’t working, she starts coming over. It makes no difference. 

But today  _is_ different. Castiel is trying to organize the growing mound of papers. He decides to start off with something easy, so he’s sorting his mail. 

There’s some junk mail, which is easy to spot and throw away. Next are bills, he’ll put those to the side to pay once he’s finished. Advertisements, sympathy cards, hate mail; all have their own pile. Yet one piece of mail draws his attention. It’s a handwritten letter.

The handwriting looks oddly familiar but he can’t seem to place it. He’s seen it before he knows it… could it be? No it can’t. He brings the letter closer and looks at the address. Shit, it’s a prison address! He quickly opens the letter and begins to read it out loud. 

 

_**Dear Castiel:** _

_**Please read this to the end. First thing I wanna say is how sorry I am.** _

_**I owe you all a huge apology. I’m sorry for being stupid and reckless and falling for her. I should have known better, I should have known she didn’t love me.** _

_**But it’s too late now and it’s all in the past, there’s nothing I can change now, but there’s still one thing I can do for you.** _

_**My lawyer has something that I asked him to give to you. It’s the key to my apartment. There’s money underneath a loose floorboard in the kitchen that she gave to me as a present. I want you to have it. I heard about the fine the judge gave you. All I can hope is that it’ll help to mitigate some of the financial burdens that I put you two under. I also have this piece of shit of a TV that I know no one would touch with a ten foot pole; inside you’ll find a cellphone. It’s the burner phone that she bought for me so we could keep in contact. Call me a sentimental idiot but I never deleted anything on it. Guess it comes in handy now. I also have pictures of the two of us together. I didn’t want anyone to accidentally find them lying around, so they’re in a white envelope taped to the bottom of my nightstand.** _

_**I won’t say her name. I can’t break the promise that I made to her, no matter how foolish it makes me seem, but with the cellphone and pictures I think it’ll be easy to find out.** _

_**I’m sorry Cassie. I never meant for any of this to happen, all I wanted to do was be happy with the woman I loved. I hope one day you find it in your heart to forgive me.** _

 

_**Alfie** _

 

Castiel is shocked. He had never thought Alfie would ever tell them who the woman is. He screams for Ruby to come quick. As she races up the stairs, to the best of her abilities, Castiel has already pulled out his phone dialing her uncle’s number. 

It’s time to deal out a little justice. 

* * *

 

Dean’s phone interrupts the silence in the house with a harsh ring. It’s late in the afternoon and after almost losing a fight with the chair he was sitting in he quickly picks up the phone. Ruby has been up all day and finally decided to take a nap on the couch. Dean doesn’t want to wake her up, she needs the rest even when she’s not allowed to do anything around the house.

It’s Lisa.

She tells him that Chad has a meeting in California next Friday and she’s asking him if he could stay over at the Manor. Ben will be with him too. Lisa will stay back home because she can’t afford to take any time off. 

“Have you made a decision?” Dean asks dryly.

“Well, that depends on the meeting,” she answers.

“Why?” Dean can feel a headache forming. She’s playing games and he hates that.

“Because it’s a _job_ _interview_ , Dean. I got a position in a hospital near you in California. Sammy’s the one who got me the job, thank him for me please.”

“So… you’re saying it’s a possibility then?” Dean tries to force down the hope blooming in his chest. 

“No Dean, it’s a fact. As soon a Chad finds a job, we’re moving to California.

Dean feels his eyes water, as he laughs to cover up the sobs that he can’t hold back. This is his dream. He’ll be able to see his son every day. He can now be a part of his life and be the father he’s always wanted to be.

“Oh, Lis, that’s awesome!”

“Well, I’ve been thinking of what you told me and I also did some research as you said, and you were right. The laws would be beneficial to Ben and the school you recommended has great reviews. We contacted them and they’ll be very happy to have Ben as soon as we move within the school district. But it’s not just that Dean. I… I also want to make it up to you… for all those years I…”

“Lis, no. I don’t want you to do this because you feel like you own me something. The only reason I proposed this is because it’s what’s best for our son.” He cuts her off in a tone that demands no response. 

She’s silent for a few seconds, clearly uncomfortable with his words.

“Dean I’m sorry, but you’re wrong. You’re the only one who thinks so. I owe you Dean, and I think I’ll never be able to make it up to you.”

* * *

 

December begins without any snow at all, and Dean has to remind himself this is fucking California, so he sucks it up and takes Cas to the beach. 

The letter Alfie sent to Castiel is enough proof for the police to get a search warrant for the apartment. By the time Castiel and the police have made all the right steps they enter the apartment to find a catastrophe. The place is a wreck of soiled dishes and broken furniture, but luckily the TV Alfie mentioned is so worthless that it has remained untouched. They also find the money and photos among the wreckage of Alfie’s apartment. 

Everything calls her name. Every piece of evidence has her fingerprints and even a few pieces of hair. The police charge her with attempted homicide while Shurley and Edlund present a civil suit towards her for the involvement in the restaurant poisoning fiasco.

Once the charges have been filed Chuck asked if Castiel and Charlie if they wanted the money, but they said no. It was blood money plain and simple. Castiel believed that it would be bad karma on anyone who would use that money. They have everything that they needed and what they didn’t have… well they would get it eventually.

* * *

 

Dean has a plan. Codename: S.E.X.Y.H.U.S.B.A.N.D. (Well at least that’s what Dean likes to call it in his head anyway.) Dean knows that Castiel has rarely had any birthday celebrations for the reason that his birthday is less than a week from Christmas, so he wants to make his first birthday as a married man one he can never forget. He even left all the Christmas planning to Ruby so that he can plan Castiel’s birthday down to the smallest detail. It’s going to be awesome; family and friends, his favorite meals, and he even booked Castiel’s favorite singer to serenade him. He can’t wait till the 22nd of December. 

Cas is going to have the best birthday _ever_ .


	41. This is us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are so so so so sorry. Life got in the way. We promise we won't take this long for the final chapter.  
> We love you and we want you to be happy with our work. So please, tell us what you think.  
> With kudos or comments or both... they makes us really happy.!!  
> Now enjoy the chapter.

_This is love, this is love  
Let the world know, baby, this is us_

* * *

 

If a year ago someone had told Dean that he would ever extensively plan a birthday party, he would have laughed his ass off and told that person to get away from him; because, seriously, when was the last time someone had seen him do anything so cheesy? Christmas? He can bitch about the holiday all he wants but he has always secretly enjoyed Christmas. Truth is he loved seeing his baby brother’s face glow with the few presents he was able to get for him with his own money. But… birthday planning? No way. He was okay with taking his brother out and do stuff for his birthday but that was about it.

But this is different... it's his mate's birthday. At first he was clueless on where to start, but Ruby had suggested he should contact her event planner or perhaps ask Jo for help, or even Charlie. Dean dismissed her suggestions, he wants to give Cas the party of a lifetime himself… ok well maybe Charlie could help a little.

Let it be known that Dean Winchester never does anything by half.

He went to the store and researched on the internet and even watched videos on Youtube, yet with all the planning he forgot to check the calendar. Castiel’s birthday was just before his heat. Damn. Well, he’ll have to play this by ear and hope for the best.

December 22nd rolls around and it looks like Mother Nature is on his side. He tricks Cas later that day to believe that they were going to dinner at a five star restaurant, but he was planning to take Cas to Matt’s instead.

“Ehm… Dean? Why are we going to Matt’s place?”

“We’re not… we’re just going in the same direction.”

“Dean… don’t do that, Love. You suck at lying. I can see your chin twitching.”

“Okay… okay… you got me. We’re going to pick up some people and then we’re going to have dinner,” Dean rolls his eyes without looking off the road.

“Good, that’s better, Love,” Cas says satisfied with the answer.

‘ _Well… could have gone worse_.’ Dean thinks.

A few minutes later they arrive at Matt’s and Dean is trying to make Cas go in.

“C’mon, Babe, let’s go in just for a minute, say _Hi_ to everyone and then we’ll leave”

“Dean… I’m tired! Go and pick whoever’s coming with us. I’ll just wait here,” Cas refuses to leave the Impala, relaxing against the leather seat.

“And preventing me from showing you off? You look hot, c’mon husband, hope out.” Dean opens Cas’ door and takes his hand, making him leave the comfort of the leather.

Castiel reluctantly follows him towards the restaurant door, complaining that he’s too tired and that, when his birthday dinner is over, he’s gonna sleep three days in a row.

Cas knows Dean is up to something, maybe they’re not going to dinner anywhere else.

There’s not much more time to think about because fifteen seconds later the restaurant door opens and he’s received by a crazy crowd shouting _HAPPY BIRTHDAY_  while balloons fall over him, and there’s even a piñata, a central table with Castiel’s favorite dishes and drinks. He’s crowned with a huge birthday hat with his name on. There are tears in Cas’ eyes, and Dean and a very pregnant Ruby are holding him.

Cas can barely speak, overwhelmed by everything and everyone.

“I… I never… They said… I was… Because Christmas… and they’d take me… to dinner… sometimes… but they used… they used to forget… Oh, Love… Rurru… guys…” It seems that not a single sentence or thought will be completed tonight by Cas.

Everyone at the restaurant hugs him, as Dean pats him on the back as they walk through the crowd. The night goes by, they laugh and talk, they karaoke and dance and play charades. It was the perfect way to end the party.

Dean watches as Cas smiles enjoy himself. There is also his family and friends to watch as they interact. The party is perfect. Pretty much like his husband.

Later when almost everyone had already gone home and they were also heading out, carrying the presents into Baby’s truck, Cas playfully bumps him on the shoulder.

“You know, Love, I will never have enough words to thank you for this. You don’t know how much…” He trails off trying not to sound melancholic, he straightens a bit looking around to check if anyone has followed them, “I think that not even the best blow job in the world would be enough,” he whispers as he shuts the car truck.

“Tough, because I still want one,” Dean answers making Castiel laugh.

“And you’ll get it, Love. Now let’s go home… I’ve been fucked by a dude for the most part of the last three days and I’m exhausted,” He says  as he gets in the car.

“Hey! You just said…” Dean complains hopping in behind the wheel.

“Alright, Love…” Cas pretends to be annoyed, rolling his eyes and sighing, “After _that_ …” but he burst in laughter anyway, “And then I would love to sleep for two days but I won’t get even eight hours of sleep because I have to start cooking for Christmas!”

“Ooh, you poor thing” Dean mocks and they laugh all the way home.

* * *

 

Christmas is around the corner and the house is in chaos. There’s an explosion of flour and pumpkin and chocolate in the kitchen and decorations stuff littering the rest of the house. Tradition is tradition so they _have_ to kiss in every corner under the mistletoe and are shushed by Sally who is constantly mopping and dusting around trying to keep every room spotless.

The brothers want their little sister home for the celebrations but also know that she won’t leave Gabe, not even for a night, so they invite them both to stay at the Manor to help with the preparations and actually _be_ part of the family. 

It’s not the visit of the rest of the Winchester family that distresses them, it’s Ruby’s. Her family will be crowding the house on Christmas day so everyone is panicking over details. It’s nonsense, of course, because Ruby’s parents are nice and her siblings are good friends to them. It’s just… the in-laws’ syndrome. They’re all freaking out.

“ _DEAN ROSS_ , would you stop messing with the tree?” Ruby shouts.

“SAMUEL, stop eating my cookies!” Cas’ voice can be heard through the kitchen door.

“GABRIEL AND JO, stop doing… whatever the hell you’re doing,” Dean shouts, just for the sake of yelling at someone, as they sit together in the TV room wrapping presents.

Sam watches it all from the kitchen doorway smiling at his crazy family, “Wooh, everybody, calm down. Cas, you want me to help with anything?”

“No! YES! Stay as far away from my food as possible,” Cas answers as he pushes Sam out of the way and slams the kitchen door shut.

“Jeez, okay! Rubs? Need any help?”

“Nopes, I can still write. I need to do something, even if it is just writing thank you notes.”

Sam huffs, bored and feeling useless, “Anyone need _any_ help?” he calls at no one in particular.

All the answer he gets is a communal shrug of shoulders, he pouts and declares, “Alright then, I’ll go and watch some TV… you’re no fun at all”

And that’s pretty much how the 23rd and 24th pass.

Sam finally gets to help decorate the top part of the 8 feet tall tree. The rest looking at him from a side of the room, he looks back at them, “Right… call the giant to do nothing but giant things. Nobody appreciates me,” he mumbles as he hangs up candy canes and crystal figures.

At some point the running and shouting are over and they realize that the preparation is over. They are ready, and they’re going to enjoy their first Christmas as a big family.

* * *

 

Ruby could have sworn that there weren’t any children living in the house, yet here she is watching her family fly through the room in excitement to open up presents. She brings hot cocoa and cookies to find them sat on the floor by the tree.

She snorts at the sight of the three men, sleepy but grinning. So she thinks ‘ _When in Rome…_ ’  as she sits on the floor next to Sam and claps.

“Presents!” Ruby screams.

“C’mon Rubs, wait till the guests arrive,” Sam admonishes amused.

“I. Said. _PRESENTS_!” She says folding her arms as she  frowns and pouts.

Dean grunts, not quite awake yet. The only reason that Dean is downstairs is that Cas had to drag him out of bed and down the stairs.

“Alright, baby girl. Let’s open one present each,” Sam concedes.

Ruby nods without losing her pout. She takes her present from Sam’s hand and yelps a little at the sight of a necklace with two tear shaped diamond pendants. She hugs him tight, “I love them, Honey,  thank you.”

“My turn!” Dean lazily leaves the comfort of his mate’s neck and hands a big box to Sam. It’s a replica of the Impala, perfect right up to the minimum detail, toddler size, “I know it’s too early for the babies, baby bro, but I think they’ll love it. Took me awhile but I think it’ll work. They will be driving their own Baby at the age of 3.”

Sam is speechless, can’t stop looking at the mini Impala, amazed by the details.

“Oh my God!! Oh. My. God! Dean it’s awesome! It’s so cute! Look! Gimme your hand! You feel them moving? They’re happy with their uncle’s present! Their first, guys! Thank you!” Ruby says, hugging them both.

When they break the hug, Dean turns to find his husband holding a big box out to him. Dean smirks, sits back on the floor and opens it and shouts at the sight of an autographed Led Zeppelin vinyl. All their signatures are there. Dean can’t stop staring at it.

“Turn it around Love,” Cas tells him.

“How… how were you able to find this!? Oh my God this is just amazing, Babe,” behind the album there’s a First edition certificate.

Cas laughs at the sudden bear hug by Dean.

“Well… you know how it works… the name Novak goes far, and it doesn’t hurt that I have a merchant brother.”

“I like _resourceful_ you. Thank you Babe.”

“Of course you do,” Cas can’t erase the smile from his face when he sees Dean’s reaction to his present.

Ruby breaks the spell. “And this is your present, Cas. C’mon, open it!” She hands him an envelope.

Amused at his friend’s enthusiasm Castiel opens the envelope and his face glows. It’s a gift certificate for the cooking supplies store of his dreams. It’s a very fancy store and way out of his league nowadays. He remains speechless, the amount is huge.

“I’ve been thinking, since you and Charlie have so many awesome catering ideas, this is only logical. They have everything… top of the line equipment to fine and rare herbs. I _don’t think_ you can buy a ‘Rational’ oven but I’m pretty sure you can get all the rest of the equipment you need.”

Cas finally lifts his eyes to meet Ruby’s and Sam’s, “Thank you, guys, you are the best, and you lady, you’re coming with me to the store.” he hugs her.

“Oh, yes! Praise the Lord… I’ll get to leave the house! Woohoo!” She laughs as she hugs back. She suddenly breaks the hug and takes three packages from under the tree.

“New tradition!” She yells as she gives one package to each man. They smile and unwrap the presents to find… three of the ugliest sweaters known to man. They sit still, looking at each other. “C’mon! Put them on!”

“Oh, no girly. NO!” Dean says as Cas and Sam shout, “HELL NO!”

“Yeah… yeah… pregnant lady on house arrest here… so suck it up and put them on. I’ve sent a memo to everybody coming today. It’s ‘ _ugly sweater day’_. I even got myself one with an anklet band. Because, you know… I’m Ms. Moose”.

They have breakfast and laugh nonstop until the doorbell rings. It’s Baz and his date, followed a few minutes later by Gabe and Jo, who had decided to spend Christmas morning at their place and come back to the mansion after going to the cemetery.

They all greet them from their places on the couch and Sam yells, “Hey, Baz are you going to  introduce your date or what?” he smiles knowingly.

“Family, this is Samantha and she’s…” he’s cut off by a scream directly behind him.

“SHE’S YOUR MATE! I can smell it,” Gabriel yells excitedly pulling poor Jo along, “Man, congratulations! She did take a long time to show up, uh?” Gabe hugs his twin, and kisses his future sister in law on the cheek.

Samantha seems a bit overwhelmed by the Winchester/Novak welcome.

“Yes Gabe, she is indeed my mate and, also 21 so please, don’t frighten her? She was as shocked as me. It was an incredibly strong sensation… we couldn’t fight it… Rubs, d’you think…?”

“Baz, darling. Mating takes less than a second. Three of your brothers are mated, well maybe four, I’m not sure about Lucifer. I can’t figure if he really mated that bitch or was just trying to piss off my uncle... anyway you should know it by now. She’s gonna be alright, Baz, she’s already part of the family and she will be loved. So stop worrying and join us in the living room.”

Guests continue to arrive and it’s a mess of people, drinks, snacks and announcements. _Nonstop_ announcements.

Samantha gets to know almost everybody that matters in Baz’ life, she’s a very nice and polite young woman… everybody is in love with her within the first hour.

Sam and Ruby finally tell the rest of the family and friends that they’re having twins, which is received with cheers from the whole little crowd.

Dean clears his throat and tells them all that Ben is moving to California, since Chad’s job interview went great and Lisa got a job at the Cedar Sinai Hospital, thanks to Sam.

Charlie and Meg are tying the knot in February or march, and invite them all to the wedding.

Amazing as every announcement is, the shockest one comes from the chefs. Cas and Charlie stand up and look at their family. Cas coughs and raises his glass.

“Family, I just want to say something. A year ago I had only three people in my life that I could trust,” Cas smiled forgivingly at his father, “Today I have a husband, most of my brothers with me, I’m missing only Emm now, but he’s going to be here in July,  my father’s finally here and I have the best family of them all. Rurru… Sam… you are generous, giving, selfless, and stubborn and you take care of your family by blood or choice. You gave me and my husband a place to live, a home, and to me a sense of belonging that I’d thought was long lost. And then there goes Rubs forcing everybody to wear these incredibly ridiculous sweaters, yet somehow they made us all happy.”

He grabs Charile by the hand and puts an arm around her shoulders, “Char and I have an announcement. We are closing The Angel’s Pit.” There’s a general shock but Cas rapidly says, “No… wait, the thing is that there’s is nothing more important for a restaurant than the reputation and sadly ours is doomed. Guys, really… Sammy stop pouting and Baz… don’t show Samantha how quickly you get upset… We are not out of business, family. We’re just closing the restaurant not the whole organization.” Dean looks at his husband, standing there in the middle of a room full of people smiling at him with pride.

“So, from the ashes of _The Angel’s Pit, Archangel_ will be born.” In a heartbeat people are standing up cheering.

“We are going to rock California’s world. We’re not selling, we’re renovating the place. The whole restaurant will become a huge kitchen, with tons of storage place with a small reception and pick up place; we’re going to sell pastries and party snacks too. Each and every one of you gave us ideas; all of your favorite dishes will be part of the menu with your names on it, as part of the Angel’s theme. So you’ll find Dean’s mini pies, Ruby’s strange mini delicious sandwiches made with a bread that almost no one sales in the States. There’s gonna be a whole section named after Gabe, sweets to give anyone diabetes. So, let’s toast to _Archangels_.”

They all take their glasses, and toast to that. Dean stays back, allowing Castiel’s father to congratulate him first. He knows how important it is for Cas to close the gap between him and his dad.

Charlie finally gets a chance to say something, “And we’re gonna need all your money. Loans of course, interest and papers. Amazing food needs top of the line appliances.”

“Bradbury! We’ve talked about this already! We’re not going to use their money!”

“Yeah, that’s what you always say and then they convince you otherwise. I’m just saving time… I’m getting married in a couple of months, can’t waste time!”

They all snort their approval. They’re called to the dining room and the rest of the Christmas day is perfect as well. Everyone is having a great time, as they getting to know each other better.

* * *

 

Dean all but runs into the bedroom to take off the disgustingly funny ugly sweater, and is in such a hurry that he doesn’t notice Cas until he hears the door click shut. He turns just in time to see Cas give him a predatory leer while holding a piece of paper in his hand.

“I would very much like to receive my present now,” he growls stepping closer to the Alpha standing near the bed.

Dean suddenly loses the ability to stand and sits back on the bed looking like a deer in headlights. All he can do is nod as Cas takes his time walking across the room.

“But first, I want some answers. It is of importance that this is your choice. I do not want you to do this because it is one of my fantasies, but that you want to do this as well.”

Dean blinks slowly before answering. He really wants to blame the alcohol he consumed earlier but deep down he knows that it’s nerves.

“I’ve given it enough thought, Babe, I think I will enjoy this. But to answer your question… well, you know it’s not something that I’d consider doing in the past, but hell if now I don’t want to give it a try. But I’m not gonna lie I’m nervous, but… well, there’s a part of me that wonders if maybe- just maybe- I can enjoy it as just as much as you,” Dean answers as the blush on his face spreads.

“Dean,” Cas looks at him with eyes filled to the brim with love and adoration, “We can start slow today and then steadily increase throughout the days… anything to make you comfortable, Love” Cas says as he reaches out to slowly caresses his mate’s face.

Dean leans into the touch, “I rather go and jump in head first instead of testing the waters Babe, if you know what I mean,” he says with a nervous smile.

Castiel leans down pecking on his lips, soft and tender. Cas teases as he licks Dean’s lower lip parting them with only the tip of his tongue, but not quite letting Dean kiss back properly. The Alpha protests with a whine and Cas breaks the kiss.

“If we do this properly will you stop complaining Dean?”

Dean lowers his head and nods.

“Good. Now come here and close your eyes. I have several ideas I’d like to try… so many things I wanna do to you Dean,” Dean feels naked already, stripped by Cas’ eyes.

“Do you want to know what I’m about to do to you or do you prefer to be surprised?”

Dean opens his eyes to look up at Cas through his lashes as he thinks about how he wants to answer.

“I asked you a question Dean, I’d would like the answer within this century, if possible,” Castiel says, his tone impatient.

“Surprise me,” Dean says as he loses his nerve and gazes at the floor. If he had kept his eyes leveled with Cas’ he would have seen the mischievous light flickering in the Omega’s blue pools.

“Good. Now stand in the middle of the room facing towards me as you remove your clothes… slowly. I would like a show Dean.” Cas sits on the edge of the bed as he licks his lips and crosses his legs, leaning back on his hands.

Dean does as he’s told. He doesn’t realize till now how much of a turn on Cas ordering him around would be. He takes his time to unbutton his shirt, removing it inch by slow inch. As his eyes lock with his husband he takes the collar of his undershirt and pulls it over his head. He’s conscious of Cas’ tongue darting out. Damnit, he needs to focus on the instruction that Cas gave him, instead of listening to his instinct which is tell him to rip every scrap of clothing off the both of them and jump on his mate. Instead he bends over and unties his shoes with care and sets each to the side when he is finished. He next moves his hands up to his sides as he unbuckles his belt. His jeans fall to his hips as he pops open the button and his fly to a very noticeable hard on.

Castiel smirked raising an eyebrow at the sight, “Enjoying this Love? Being on display for me. I like that, keep going. Now now… don’t rush, do it slowly. I need you to take your time for me,” he says in a steady voice as he palms his hard dick over the fabric of his slacks.

Dean wiggles his hip and the jeans finally release his hips and pool around his feet on the floor. He carefully steps out of his jeans and moves towards Cas, “No Dean, don’t move another inch. I want you naked in the middle of the room, let me take another look at you.”

Dean sighs, impatient but willing to comply. He slips a finger into the top his boxers and bends over to push them to the floor.

 

“Gorgeous… just… shit. Perfect,” his breathing fast through his open mouth, “I want to kiss and touch you every freckle. Touch your nipples. Would you like that Dean? To pinch and roll them until they are sensitive and then pinch them some more when they are bright red and glistening with my spit?”

Dean opens his eyes wide and moans. Dean slides his hands up his body as his cock twitches in excitement.

“Don’t stop,” he rapidly says when he sees Dean’s hand starts to fall by his side, “I’m really enjoying the view. Take two steps towards me… no, make it three and keep playing with your nipples with one hand and touch your cock loosely with the other, don’t press on it.” Dean walks with his hands busy on himself, and stops right within Castiel’s reach. The hunger in his husband’s eyes are all consuming as quickens the pace and twists his nipple causing a surprised gasp to leave Dean’s mouth.

 

“Go on, Dean. Move your hand up and down on over your cock, don’t squeeze… just a light touch… I’m gonna take my time with you…”

“You’re gonna kill me, Babe” Dean whispers, eyes darkened.

“Well, that’s the  idea.” Cas smirks.

Cas lowers his head to kiss Dean’s bellybutton, licking all the way to his left thigh making Dean whimper. He can see his mate going mad with the arousal as he squirms and writhes. Being with bossy Castiel is always the best. He knows what’s on agenda. He created the fucking agenda. Letting Cas take control was a smart move only… he’s nervous but he wants this more than he ever wanted anything before.

Dean’s lost in his thoughts and gasps at the sudden sensation of being bitten hard as Cas starts leaving a trail of bites along Dean’s left thigh, kissing and licking every bit of skin after every bite. Dean continues to touch himself, moaning and saying Cas’ name, “Babe… please, Cas!”

“Soon, my Love,” Cas whispers against Dean’s thigh, grabbing his butt and pinching it, “Dean, honey… are you sure about this? Look at me Dean. Look at me and say it.”

Dean stops his hand, hesitantly looking at the floor.

“You’re not. Your face tells me you’re not ready” Cas says with a smile, stroking the side of Dean’s thighs, “It’s okay, Love, I’m not in a rush to collect my present. It can be today… tomorrow, next month or… never. I’ll never do anything you don’t feel comfortable with.”

“No Cas, I really really want this. It’s just that it’s… different. I’m loving it so far… Babe, look at me! You’ve barely touched me and I’m about to knot my hand.” One hand still on his own cock, the other rests on the back of Castiel’s neck, “See? Look at my chin… it’s not twitching. I’m not lying, Cas. Hear me out, Babe, _I am sure about this, really sure_. But… I’m also very nervous. Please understand” Dean falls on his knees in front of Cas, the smell of the Omega’s arousal, the smell of his slick sends Dean’s head to spin, “I want this, Cas… I want you, _just you_. Please stop teasing and let’s do this already,” they kiss fiercely, sucking the air out of each other’s lungs.

Cas takes Dean gently lays him on the bed. He then moves back to see all of Dean and it takes his breath away.

“Again, you’re gorgeous Love. Perfect… mineminemineMINE! I still can’t believe you chose me. Stay still, Baby, I’ll take a lifetime kissing and licking every freaking freckle. Your hands, Dean… put them above your head. I don’t want them in the middle… you’re mine”

Cas does as promised, kissing Dean all over… front and back. Every freckle, every inch of skin… everywhere but where he wants him to. Dean is a whimpering mess. Begging for contact and loving every second of it.

“Babe please. Cas I need…”

“What do you need, Dean?” Cas voice hoarse with wanton.

“You… fuck , Cas. I need you… on me… in me… above me… wherever you want to be… but I need you now, please!!”

Cas smiles biting his lower lip, “Now you _**are**_ ready, Love. Dean, this might be unpleasant and you have to tell me the very second you stop loving it. Remember liking is not enough”

Dean is beyond words, all he manages to do is to nod. Castiel stands up and goes to the drawer looking for Dean’s present. He returns to the bed and kneels between Dean’s open legs. He looks down at Dean and kisses the tip of his shaft. Pecking. Licking. Teasing.

“Cas… no, stop… stop teasing me please!”

Cas takes a split second to smile before devouring Dean’s dick, pushing him into the mattress. He bobs his head slowly, teasing him with his tongue and eating him again. Dean’s hips jerk upwards in its own account, but Cas holds him tight until he can control himself. Only then his hands move towards the perineum and massaging the area along with his testicles. The other hand gets busy opening the lube. Dean arcs his back at the contact, moaning. Cas takes that for what it is… a plea for more, so he touches Dean’s puckered hole, making round movements. He stops bobbing his head and removes Dean’s dick from his mouth.

“Show time, Babe. I wanna see you. I want to see you debauched and begging for me” Castiel enters his first knuckle.

Dean cries, “OH, GOD!”

“What was that, Dean. God or Good?” Cas says, stilling for a moment.

“Both… both, Babe... please!”

Dean tries to thrust down on his finger but Cas has other ideas, “No, I want to do this by myself. Just lay there and moan all you want. I’ll take my time”

Castiel removes his finger and starts licking Dean’s thigh all the way to his butt cheek. Dean cries the moment Cas’ tongue touches his hole. He licks at the same time his finger finally enters him.

Dean can feel the fire in his belly increasing, “Cas, Babe, I won’t last if you keep on doing this… I’ll knot the air and I won’t be happy”

Cas looks at him, the blue in his eyes long gone, wanton black taking its place. He waits until Dean is able to open his eyes again and only then another lubed finger goes in, scissoring him, looking for Dean’s comfort.

“It’s weird having something up in your ass but I’m fucking loving it. Please, Cas… fuck me already!”

“No, love, not yet. You don’t produce fluids like me… I have to get you ready. Grip the base of your cock for me… I don’t want the knot to form yet… I promise, soon…” He enters a third finger and starts to thrust them very slowly at first… harder, once Dean’s hole is loose enough. Adding more lube and a fourth finger. He sees his hole open and ready for him and has to take the base of his own cock to prevent the orgasm.

“Love, how do you want to do this? They say it’s less painful on your fours but I’d really like to see how you fall apart from my cock, like you do with me every time. Please tell me what you want”.

“Your face, Babe… I wanna see your face… now… please… please do it” he can barely hold it together.

Cas lubes his shaft and positions himself. He throws one of Dean’s legs over his shoulder. Taking his cock with one hand, he pushes the head in and stops. He takes a second to study Dean’s face, looking for discomfort or pain. All he sees, instead, is debauch, want… need. The head of his dick pulsing at the tightness around him, he finally enters his whole shaft in, slowly and steadily; bottoming out and doing his best to stay still allowing his mate to get accustomed to the feeling.

Apparently he doesn’t need that much time.

“Move, Cas. I’m ready” Dean grabs Cas hands over his own hips and tightens the grip.

With a groan, Cas begins slow steady movements, holding Dean’s leg up and biting him gently. There are no words; none of them can make nothing but unintelligible sounds. Cas gradually increases the pace making Dean cry and curse.

“Cas, I can’t… please touch me, babe” Dean is moving underneath him making Cas lose his rhythm but getting into a position that makes him hit Dean’s prostate. Dean cries shamelessly and with a slight touch of Cas’ fingers on his cock thrusting once, twice, three times at the same pace he’s pounding inside his husband, and Dean knots Cas’ hand spilling all over his stomach… his orgasm endless while Cas continues to rock inside him accompanying him in his descend of his first wave.

“Cas… I love you, Babe, I love you so much. You… I have to… ohhhhhh”

“We’ve got time, Love. You’ve just knotted, we have at least two more waves for you to really finish and I plan to ride every one of them” Cas proposedly slows the pace, going to the point of almost stopping cold. For whatever time this is taking, their eyes never leave the other’s. Cas watches his face as he takes him into his next wave, riding him mercilessly, fucking into Dean’s hole and hitting his prostate and pouring sounds out of him that he’s never heard before but wants to hear again and again. The third wave comes fast enough to catch Cas unprepared and he can’t hold it anymore, as the knot releases another wave of cum, Cas explodes inside Dean; he comes hard, fast and beautifully.

When their heads begin to clear and they stop kissing and caressing each other, Cas slips out of Dean and almost faints of exhaustion, crashing next to Dean. The Alpha keeps pumping his knot until he’s spent for the last time and waits for his it to recede. Cas is crumbled next to him and it’s a beautiful sight. Dean stands up even though he’s still hard and really sore. ‘ _Tomorrow I won’t probably be able to sit straight_ ’ he thinks amusedly.

Dean returns from the bathroom after a quick shower bringing a towel to clean Castiel with all the tenderness he’s capable of, which is huge when it comes to his mate. He caresses and cleans his husband slow and thoroughly. Castiel whimpers and whispers something unintelligible.

“It’s okay, Babe. Sleep, my love, I’ll come back to bed in a second”

Dean returns and lets Cas put his arms around him, happy to be the little spoon for tonight.

 

* * *

New Year’s Eve is upon them in the blink of an eye. Jo and Gabe throw a party at their loft, _Gabe’s loft_ , as Jo stubbornly tells everyone. Jo is still not living with Gabe, yet she spends 28 nights a month at his place.

It’s a hell of a party, everyone is there, even Ben. The kid had arrived earlier that same day and is already telling everyone who would listen the good news, “I’m moving in!” Ben tells Castiel’s father, as he makes a serious face, “I’m big now, Mr. Novak.”

“Yeah kiddo. You’re still going to bed at 9:30 on school nights and midnight on weekends… if your mom doesn’t catch you skyping with Natasha.”

“DAAADDDDDD!” Ben pouts.

“Benjamin, we’ve talked about this,” Cas says as he walks past them, “whining is for people with no manners.”

“Yes, Papa Cas,” he says in a whisper as he leaves dragging his feet. Cas watches him go and laughs knowing that the kid will be online in no time. His son knows his stepfather is gonna sneak him some ice cream before he manages to even start the computer.

 

While this is going on, a very pregnant Ruby is talking to Sama and notices her finger.

“Girl! Is that a ring or a rock?! Baz, Sama, you care to enlighten us?” Ruby knows the answer but she doesn’t want neither to frighten Sama nor ruin their surprise.

 

“Well,” Balthazar states as he takes Samantha by the hand, “We were going to wait until everyone was here but due to someone's  _very_ nosy sister in law… we got engaged yesterday!” Balthazar has to wait till everyone quiets down before he continues, “I know, I’m not young, 32 is the number you’re looking for, people. We don’t want to make a fuss, just a small ceremony, like Cassie’s. Just you lot and her family, maybe a couple of friends that aren’t here. We just want to start our lives together. I can’t wait to spend my days and nights…”

“And HEATS!” Gabe shouts from the back, which rewards him with a punch in the arm from Jo and a death stare from Balthazar.

“Yeah Gabe! And before you speak the question, the answer is NO. I don’t take advantages of my ladies; she’s perfect and I can wait as long as she needs me to. We haven’t set a date yet but we’re thinking late February.” He turns to find her eyes fixed on him, and he holds her gaze forgetting about all the people in the room.

Gabriel ruins the moment by yelling, “Oh God! Someone test my blood sugar!” Baz knows that he’s only teasing so he walks over and pulls him into a hug.

“I love you, Bro. She’s perfect and the two of you smell good together, like candy. I like her but you’ll have to teach her more sass and not to be so shy, only way she’s survive this family,” Samantha just smiles and Gabe pulls her into the hug.

“Now this is the part where I say you better take good care of my twin. I have lots of ways to hurt you without laying a hand on you,” Gabe had a large smile plastered on his face but the dead look in his eyes told the truth.

Castiel reaches out to grab Samantha to hug her and says, “Don’t worry, he said the same thing to Dean and look at them now. You just don’t hurt Baz.”

“I’m not planning to, Castiel”

“Good, then there’s nothing to worry about… I’ll let the rest congratulate you. Welcome to the family,  again.”

Ben decides to come downstairs and see what the fuss is about and uses this as an excuse to stay until his fathers tell him to stop chatting online and start socializing. Jo suddenly grabs him and sits him down next to her as she shoves snacks into his hands.

“So brat, tell me when is  your mom and Chad moving?”

“How would I know? I’m just a kid, nobody tells me anything. Ask Dad or Papa, they know… I guess.”

Jo looks around.

“Hey, Dean-o!” she shouts to her brother on the other side of the room.

“Yes, Joanna Beth?” Dean mocks.

“Okay, fair enough. When is Lisa moving?”

“She’s not sure, said it all depends. They need to finish some paperwork and sell the house and I’m not sure when Chad is due to start his new job… I’m guessing around my birthday.”

“Well, she’ll have a lot of hands to help with the house,” Sam says joining the conversation.

“She knows that. I already told her that we all… yes Gabe, ALL OF US, are going to help out.”

“Dinner is ready!” Cas announces.

Everyone walks into the dining room to see the table set with all the food that Cas and Charlie plan to sell at Archangels.

 

“Oh my God Cassie! Everything looks awesome. I wanna try everything at least once. No, scratch that, I’ll have three of everything.

“Baby, you know you shouldn’t eat that much…” Sam says concerned.

“Oh, shut up Winchester. It’s only for one day. I eat rabbit food the rest of the time. Gimme a break, just  look at this food!”

“Okay! Pregnant lady is served first… let’s eat!” Castiel claps his hands.

* * *

 

January flies by. Castiel and Charlie have been busy with all of the Archangels renovations, and with Dean’s birthday around the corner Castiel doesn’t know what he’s going to do. He wants to throw a surprise party for Dean, but where would he be able to find the time?

Instead he plots with Sam and Ruby. Together they plan for a barbecue with all of Dean’s new friends from the garage and family.

When Dean’s birthday comes around and Castiel pulls Dean into the backyard where everyone is waiting. The look on Dean’s face is worth all the work to make this happen.

The party is perfect. It’s a day to celebrate Dean and what better way to do that than to recreate the bachelor party, well minus the Hawaiian theme. When the fancy burgers arrive at the table Dean pulls Cas into the kitchen and corners him against the counter.

“Babe, this is perfect! _You_ are perfect. Thank you.”

Castiel starts to laugh as Dean begins to nibble on his neck, “As much as I would love to take full responsibility. . . I had so much work to do at the Archangels that I would be lying. This was all Sam and Ruby. I just picked the theme and gave some ideas. Well. . . I did make the food.”

“Well, as usual the food is amazing, like everything you cook babe. So… when do I get my present?” Dean wiggles his eyebrows and winks at Cas. Cas starts to laugh and Dean moves in quickly kissing him senseless as he gropes his ass.

Castiel takes Dean’s hands from his ass and says, “Later, Love; we have guests,” he then turns around to return to the garden swaying his hips.

“Oh, by the way I have two presents for you tonight.”

Dean follows him out, “Oh, Castiel… you are evil!”

“I am, Love, I am.”

* * *

 

After the cake, presents, dancing and other festivities the party finally  draws to a close and Dean and Cas are left to a messy house. After deciding to leave it all for tomorrow they use the last of their energy to move upstairs.

Dean falls face first on the bed not even bothering to take off his clothes, “I don’t think I can move a bit. Either we skip the sexy present or you do all the work,” Dean groans.

Cas starts unbuttoning his shirt and replies quietly, “Oh no, Dean, I don’t want to make a baby all by myself.”

“Uh-hu… wait what?!” Dean suddenly sits up on the bed, “Cas what are you… CASTIEL!”

“You heard me,” he deadpans.

“Yes, I heard you, but you said… Babe, are you sure? Do you really want this?”

“Yes, Dean. I was pretty sure yesterday morning when I flushed my pills, I was really sure when I went with Ruby to her Obgyn in the afternoon and asked a thousand questions. I was really really sure when I made you _this_.

He hands Dean an envelope. He opens it to find a card saying, _Congratulations, it’s a…_ with Castiel’s handwriting inside, _I don't care what is_... _Would you have a baby with me?_

Dean looks up at Cas with teary eyes, “Of course Babe, I’ll have five babies with you, hell let’s have a whole baseball team!”

They kiss for a while, emotions afloat. They know that they won’t probably get pregnant until the next Heat but they still put all their hearts in the task. 

 

 


	42. I still... (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone... We know we told you that 42 would be the last chapter, and it will... but we are a little behind with the last touches (life keeps getting on the way… the nerves!!). So, since we made promises we want to keep, we will be posting 42 in 2 or 3 parts. (Smaller parts than you are used to). We hope you love it as much as we do.  
> Please, tell us what you think with a comment, leave a kudo or just keep on reading. We love you no matter what. Hope you love us back.

Who are you now?  
Are you still the same  
Or did you change somehow?  
What do you do  
At this very moment when I think of you?

 

* * *

 

“Gabe… for the love of all that’s holy _and_ your favorite candy store, easy with the boxes, dude!” The closest thing that Dean gets in the form of an apology is an eyeroll while his brother in law picks up the box that he had just unceremoniously dumped upon the floor.

Why did he think it was a good idea to even ask Gabriel for help?

But not even Gabriel’s carelessness can bring him down today, because this is the day every piece of Dean’s life clicks into place. Lisa and Chad chose to move to Culver City near Santa Monica. The school district was in the area of the chosen school without being too expensive and the commute to work was easy.

Now, with Lisa and Chad moving into their new home, Ben can have both of his parents in the same city and Dean will be able to make up for lost time.

Everyone is true to their word and jumps headfirst into helping with the move.

It takes less than a week to have the whole house up and running. On Thursday Lisa tells Dean that she has never seen Ben so happy; that puts a smile on Dean’s face that lasts till Saturday.

It’s Friday afternoon and the Winchester couples are at Lisa and Chad's relaxing with coffee in their hands after helping to set up the internet connection and the home entertainment center. Now if Sam happens to sneak a classic Doctor Who collection into Ben's room during the process... well no one's going to know. It's his nephew to spoil and he has a lot of years of presents to catch up on.

Ben is the center of attention right now as they all sit together, so what does a preteen such as himself do to take full advantage of the attention of six adults?

He complains about school, of course.

School's different as a Meta. He’s not having fun and he doesn’t like it, school used to be easy… now not so much. The new school is focused on Metas and High IQ Alphas, Betas and Omegas. Its high standards force Ben to change his study habits so he _has_ to complain.

“School used to be so fun and easy… now I have all this homework and I have to study,” Ben says between long draws of his milkshake.

“Well, that’s how it’s suppose to be,” Chad says amused.

“But Papa, it’s too much work!” Ben whines. He quickly looks up at his uncle Sam when he hears him snort.

“Right, like you need to work so much harder now. I know first hand that school is a piece of cake Ben. Yeah, having to read stuff ONCE is a bummer, trust me I know, but c’mon kiddo...” he leans down to whisper, “You may have fooled all your parents but you ain’t fooling me, same designation remember,” they share a secretive smile as they continue with their drinks.

Ben ponders about what Sam has told him, “Gosh, I know you’re right Uncle Sam, but it’s still harder than before.”

“Well that’s too bad, it’s good for you, you know? It means that you're being challenged, which can help prepare you for college… you’re going to college, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, I already had my introductory course at the Meta office, but I was thinking... what if I don’t want to?”

“Unfortunately (or not) it’s one of the obligations of our designation. Being a Meta comes with a lot of things… tons of benefits but also a good share of obligations. But just think, once you finish college you will have your dream job and you’ll receive an amazing house and a really nice car, and the money to go with it. I know it seems unfair looking at it now, but we have responsibilities to the community as Meta. But anyway… you just enjoy school now, it’s gonna be six years before you have to worry about college.”

Dean watches the interaction from the other side of the room without interrupting. The two Metas in his life, that he would do anything for, are bonding. This makes him finally see that staying at the mansion was the right decision. Especially with Ben's approaching changes.

Dean just knows that one day Ben is gonna begin to think that he’s a big bad Meta with benefits, better than anyone at anything and that he can actually be above them all… it’s going to be a nightmare. But watching Sammy talk to his son, making him understand reasons; well, he just knows this is gonna work out just fine, his baby brother’s gonna help as the good uncle he is. Dean just knows Sam is gonna be a good dad.


	43. I still... (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another installment of I still...  
> We hope you enjoy it! We’re almost done!

I still need you  
I still care about you  
Though everything's been said and done

 

* * *

 

January ends and Ben has fallen easy into his new routine. One week at each house and he’s spending more time with his dad than ever before. Then there’s his Uncle Sammy helping with his homework and Aunty Ruby and Papa Cas spoiling him big time. At Mom’s things are also going nicely, she’s more relaxed with her new job and Papa Chad has even offered to coach his soccer team.

Ben feels like he is erasing all those moments where he missed his dad and was pissed at his mom for it. He feels normal now.

Dean sees how happy Ben is now that his family is together but he notices that Ben is stubborn in his antics and his tone is almost imperceptibly harsher. It seems that the kid is gradually turning into the MetaAlpha his uncle used to be at his age. Dean knows he’ll have to talk to Lisa about this. The only way to help Ben now is to control him. It seems harsh but Ben needs to understand that being a Meta has nothing to do with the hormonal explosion the kid is about to go through by the time of his presentation.

Ben will have to move to the mansion.

Lisa’s gonna fight it, Dean’s sure of it;  they have already moved to California at his request and she’s honestly convinced that Ben is going to be as sweet as always, but Dean has been trying to tell her stories about Sam’s first years after he presented. I was a nightmare. Now he’s preparing her for the inevitable, and that’s making her uneasy.

The thing is, Dean is convinced that the only person who can guide a Meta is another Meta and there’s only one of them he can trust his son with. Life will probably suck for the adults and the kid alike for a while, but Dean’s got a plan. He hopes it will be for the best.

* * *

 

On a day just like any other, Dylan’s cancer cells stop reproducing themselves.

The only problem is that they have to figure out what has changed to get to Dylan to this point. They know that something is different… they’ll have to do some more research. So that’s what Sam does, more research and less clinic hours.

He studies Dylan’s blood day after day. He’s got the kid’s old blood saved and runs comparative tests… apart from the obvious there isn’t any difference.

Despite that, Sam is excited, and how couldn’t he be when the cells have stopped reproducing almost a month ago and the color is returning to Dylan’s face. And yet he has to do more research… he _has_ to know. If Sam can reproduce the cancer reversion in a controlled environment he’ll be able to help others… to heal them.

Sam spends his whole shift researching, investigating and conferencing with colleagues from all over the world.

The only patient in his rounds now is Dylan, all his other patients have been reassigned. His main focus is solving Dylan’s puzzle. Sam has asked for more lab hours to the board; the more time he spends researching the more chances to discover what the hell has happened to the kid’s blood.

Releasing the kid is on the table now, but Sam doesn’t want to lose the source of his findings. Dylan’s mom has told him that they would most probably move to Riverside where her husband is currently working so he can’t decide whether to be happy for the family or panic for losing contact with the kid.

He’s entitled to be a little selfish for the kid’s benefit. Cancer cells are in remission, _but_ the kid is far from cured; being away from the hospital _and_ his doctorwhen it’s possible that he could have a setback is not a good idea, if you’d ask Sam. Yet he decides to allow Dylan to go home on weekends but he has to be at the hospital during week days.

Sam is filing his daily research results into the computer when his secretary opens the door startling him.

“Sam… sorry to interrupt but Dr. Pakin is here.”

“Uh, alright… send him in, please.”

Dr. Pakin enters the office and Sam stands up extending his hand to shake.

“Hello, Samuel. I wanted to check on you since I haven’t seen you in the cafeteria for a while now. How’s your research going?”

“I’m working on it, Doctor… I still haven’t found the core reason for the change in the patient’s cells. You see… I’m currently reproducing in vitro the stages I’ve gotten in paper. Hopefully I’ll get to find out exactly what caused it. Once I find it, I’ll try it on mice… I’ll find out if it works in flesh as well… I don’t know, Pakin, it could be nothing, but again… this could be it.”

“If authorization is what you’re looking for, you’ve got it, Samuel, whatever you need go for it, and you’ll get my approval. BUT, we’re close to the symposium and I expect you to expose the results so far… no matter if finished or not.”

“Uh Dr. Pakin, I don’t know, the investigation is not ready yet and I would like to have more research done before disclosing anything. Plus I won’t have time to write any papers… I’m sorry but…”

Sam stops his apology when Pakin stands up and straightens his jacket, “If you’re in need of help you can hire an assistant.”

“I wish, but I don’t have the budget.”

“You do now. Go and hire a couple of students if that helps… just make sure to have something ready for the symposium,” the guy doesn’t seem annoyed just tired, so Sam decides to do the smart thing.

“Okay, Pakin. I won’t make any promises but I’ll certainly do my best.”

“Trying is unacceptable, Winchester. DO IT. I’ll email you the symposium details. Hire someone this week and get on with it. I’ll set the reschedule of the rest of your patients as permanent, personally I think some of your colleagues could use the challenge. I want this done. I know we can put our department on the map… I’m trusting you with this, Samuel.”

Sam knows his battle is lost, he’ll play his part. “Okay, Pakin. I’ll attend the symposium. As I said before, I can’t promise results but I’ll have anything I find ready to expose.”

“Good, Samuel, do it. Not only the name of our department will be raised but also your own, you’ll not only be the first Meta mated with a Gamma _and_ expecting a baby but  you’ll also be an eminence in the scientific community.”

Sam smiles, how little Pakin knows that he doesn’t seek recognition, he doesn’t want fame. Helping people is his only motivation.

Pakin leaves the room leaving Sam with his own thoughts and tests to run.

* * *

 

On February 14th, the sappiest day of them all,  Jo and Gabe are finally ready to acknowledge the fact that they’ve been living together.

They load everything that she had left at the mansion and celebrate St. Valentine at their place having dinner on the couch among a few boxes watching a movie and laughing.

The day after they go to the cemetery.

“Hi Ava. Jo’s here with me and she wants to say hi.” Gabe falls on one knee and leans down as if to speak quietly to his wife, “I wanted to tell you something important. Jo’s moved in with me. She makes me happy, truly happy, baby. I never thought I would feel like this again, not after you and the babies were gone. She’s awesome, but you already knew it, right? You see… I will never stop loving you, Ava… and you will always be my mate and the mother of our babies, but now Jo is in my life and she is important too… I just need to let you go, baby. I know you understand, I’m sorry baby… I have to go now but I’ll see you on your birthday. I love you.”

Jo smiles as she hugs a crying Gabe. She knows this is really difficult for him, and that today’s going to be a sad day. He’s doing it for the two of them, so she’s gonna be there for him.

“Let’s talk to the kids, Pumpkin. I want to tell them the good news.”

They spend a good half an hour talking to the babies and while Gabe is telling them the good news and introducing Jo properly, she takes a moment to ponder about it all.

Moving on from Ava was Gabe’s decision and Jo felt a weight in her chest lift, a weight she didn’t even know she had. She wouldn’t have asked him to do that, she was hoping that one day he would be happy enough with her to start distancing the visits to Ava. She was surprised he decided to do it so soon. Her heart was racing fast, happy that Gabe was able to find closure but also happy for herself.

The babies though… she would never dream of asking him to move on from them. They’re his children and she loves them too, because Gabe is who he is because of them.

* * *

 

“We won’t get married for now but it’s not something I rule off,” Gabe tells Baz on Saturday when their brothers come to visit, “I personally think Jo needs time to adjust to the whole idea of Ava and the kids. I mean… you see how long it took her to accept that we were already living together…” He motions his arm towards the obviously feminine touches spread around the living room.

Back in the kitchen, while brewing coffee Jo tells Ruby, “I would love to get married one day, you know? All he has to do is ask. I think he’s gonna need some time to let Ava really go before we fully enjoy our lives together.”

Ruby looks sideway at Gabe and burst into laughter as Jo squints at her in confusion, “Oh, you two are idiots!”

“What? C’mon, spill it sis,” Jo rolls her eyes, amused at her sister in law abilities.

“Oh no no no,” her palms held up in front in neutral surrender, “You should talk to Gabe about it. I see… i see... a ring on your finger if you go up and talk to him… and girl, this time…” Ruby takes Jo’s hands between hers and closes the distance to speak secretly, “LISTEN TO ME!”

* * *

 

Baz and Sama tie the knot in late February. The ceremony itself is short and meaningful, beautiful words full of love and hope of a happy shared life.

She’s gorgeous in her hippy empire waist sparkling bodice dress, shoeless and perfect. He wears a white tux with sandals.

The dinner afterwards is nothing fancy, no fuss… just a family dinner.

Sama’s personality’s tamed Balthazar; he’s calmer and has fully stopped the Casanova behavior. He doesn’t even fake-flirt with Ruby. His attention is completely on his wife. Baz is the happiest man in the Universe.

* * *

 

Charlie and Meg get married on March 9th, and they _do_ make fuss about it. They all agree that this is the craziest ceremony any of them have ever attended.

The bride made the cake, she wouldn’t let anyone, not even Castiel, take care of it. The caterer is the best man. The _flower girl_ is an 11 years old, 5”2 foot Meta boy. The party is held at a club and the ceremony itself at a New Age Church with the Alpha/Omega liberty signs and flags.

The brides have chosen to dress as Han Solo and Princess Leia for the reception but they decided to go for formal attire for the ceremony. Charlie looks shockingly attractive in her white tux and Meg is a dream in her long beautiful pale yellow dress. At the end of the ceremony Meg says “I love you,” and Charlie answers, “I know,” quoting _The Empire Strikes Back_.

Later at the reception the guests are all dressed in costumes. Their invitations were clear: they all had to cosplay as their favorite movie or TV character. Dean wanted to go as Solo but was ruled out by the bride so he decided to go as an USS Enterprise Officer instead. Cas said that the uniform color brightened up his husband’s eyes… they almost don’t make it to the reception. Cas chose Harry Potter, Sam is Thor, and Ruby is a very pregnant Black Widow, thank you spandex! Jo is a  sight as Catwoman and Gabe is Willy Wonka with a bag full of actual chocolates. Ben is, of course, the 11th Doctor.

They have a blast.

The brides leave the party around five in the morning on the way to their honeymoon, San Diego and of course the SDCC.

* * *

 

“Rurru, can we talk, please?” The Gamma looks up from her desk to see a saddened Castiel standing in the doorway. Ruby motions for Cas to come in and waits till he’s ready to talk, “It’s been two months Ruru, two heats and still nothing… I can’t get pregnant. I should be by now, Omegas get pregnant in their first heat,” he leans over his knees, head down and a hand on his neck, “You know how often…”

“Woah, STOP. Right.There. I know you do it like bunnies because, honestly, how could I miss the way you two smell and the smile on your faces every morning. Or how about the way he jumps you every time you walk by. I’m not blind you know, and also neither one of you think of anything else these days. Oh no no, it’s not that I want to read you guys, but seriously… you should stop worrying about it…” She stands up and goes to sit on the chair next to Castiel taking his hand in hers, “Listen, my friend, if you two do nothing but think about it every freaking second of every freaking day you’ll get too stressed and _that_ won’t help at all. You have to chill. Look, what if I book you an appointment with my OBGYN? I have to go for a check up every week anyway… won’t be hard to get you in.”

Castiel seems to think of the pros and cons of having the same OBGYN as his sister in law but decides it’s going to be a good thing. Also Ruby trusts this doctor, and he liked her when he went for advice on quitting the pill.

So here he is two days later in the waiting room with Ruby. His usual cool is replaced with nervousness, so Ruby tries to calm him down by chit chatting. It works…ish.

“Okay now, Cas, relax. Everything is gonna be okay. You want me to come in with you?” Ruby offers.

“I don’t know, Ruru, it’s kinda personal…” Cas sounds embarrassed.

“Right, and you worry about me! You should know me better, _Castiel,_ ” She purposely uses his full name, if he doesn’t get she’s a bit offended she’ll have to say the actual words.

“Yeah, I know you like to know…”

“Nuh huh. I always _know_. I just like it when people _tell me_ instead… that’s different. I love making Sam and Dean uncomfortable with my mind reading but that’s our little secret, my friend,” she says with a wink.

“Okay Ruru, you can be there with me. Actually, I think it’ll help a lot.”

“Mr. Winchester Novak?” the nurse calls.

Castiel and Ruby stand up and follow the nurse and are guided to a exam room where they wait only are few short minutes for the doctor to arrive.

“Hello Ruby. How are we feeling today? I know I didn’t have you scheduled for anything this week, are you feeling ok?”

“Hey Olivia, and don’t worry I’m fine, I’m actually here for support,” Ruby smiles and sits as Oliva looks down at the folder in her hand.

“Great, now… Castiel, good to see you again. What can I do for you?” The doctor smiles inviting him to sit as well.

“You know I’m an Omega” he says, right to the point, “well, I can’t get pregnant”

“I see” She starts taking notes, “Last time you were here you said you were mated. Right, Castiel?”

“Yes, mated _and_ married” his shoulders straighten a little bit.

“Good… good… now, you’ve been trying to conceive since your last consult?”

“Yes, that’s about two months now”

She takes some more notes, “How many Heat cycles?”

“Two, completed last week”

“So, you’ve been feeling okay after discarding the pill?”

“Yes, ma’am”

“Please, Castiel, Olivia or Olive”

“Okay, thanks. Yes, Olivia”

“I assume you and your partner are a registered couple”

“Yes, me and my _husband_ got registered before our first Heat together” he corrects politely.

“Good, yes, husband, sorry. I assume also that the legal tests were made and that you are compatible or they wouldn’t have allowed you two to get married or mated, right?

“Yes, uhm. Here, sorry, I had promised to bring you the paperwork and I forgot about it... We are compatible.” Cas handles Olive a folder.

“Alright then, perfect. Okay now, a few things. First, this is good because that means you and your husband are healthy. Second, I assume you have sex as often as you can. I’d say… daily?” there’s a tiny lift on her lips when she sees Castiel blush violently. Ruby covers her mouth to hide her amusement.

He clears his throat before answering, “Yes, every day”

“Well, as much entertaining as that it is, when it comes to getting pregnant it’s not good. Even with the Alpha’s amount of sperm, you’ll have to let it rest at least for a day to be effective during the rest of the period; that’s outside the Heat window. You have to change the routine. Out of the Heats you must stick to a four-times-a-week schedule. Third; position and after relaxation matter. Missionary, as boring as it sounds, is better if you’re looking for a baby; after the knot recedes you should lie with your pelvis up for at least ten minutes. Two pillows under your bum will do the trick; don’t attempt to lift your legs up in the air because it only will make you sore.”

Ruby reads that’s exactly what Castiel was picturing in his mind and, once again, has to hide an evil grin.

“Fourth and most important factor, you have to keep the stress to the minimum. Are you going through any kind of stressful situations nowadays?”

“A bit, no more than usual,” Cas shrugs.

“Castiel Anaximander, you liar!” Ruby interrupts, “He’s renovating his restaurant and making it into a catering facility, he’s not only tired but also extremely stressed.”

“Uhm, that’s not good, you see, Castiel… the body reacts badly to stress and if you want to get pregnant you’ll have to relax. I don’t know… take a weekend trip and go to a spa… spoil yourself. On your next heat take your husband to a hotel, there are several specialized in mates in heat, the rooms are a good deal apart from each other and they provide three meals a day. There’s a menu on the TV that you can choose from and you can pick up the food up from a revolving trapdoor by the back of the room. Or so I heard… not that I ever was there with my mate or anything… I’ll email you a list of places” Doctor Olivia jokes to lighten Castiel frowny face, “Seriously, Castiel, relax, and stop thinking about it so hard”

Castiel flushes red once again, “I’m sorry Olivia, it’s just that I can’t get it off of my mind. I’ve read stories about Omegas getting pregnant after their first Heat or after their first intercourse with their mates… and here I am waiting month after month, having intercourse every day, twice if we can manage and yet… nothing happens. I must be broken, Olivia”

“Oh, no, Castiel, you are not. Nature works slowly sometimes, that’s all. Give it another cycle, wait for it; you just follow my instructions and if by the end of the third cycle you’re not pregnant, we’ll run some tests”

“Okay… we’ll see then”

“Good, please promise me you’ll relax. This is supposed to be an act of love and companionship, not a medical experience. Time, fun and love is all you need”

“See, Cassie? I told you to chill out, dude! Now help the whale to stand up. These frisking Winchesters are playing soccer with mommy’s insides again” she makes a face and caresses her right side belly, “Hey! I’m talking to you two! Behave and stop teasing mom, it hurts when you kick on that side… told you to do it over the left!”

“So the little mooses are giving you trouble?”

“They like to kick my insides, Olive. They say they are bored and the room is getting tighter”

“Well, let’s go see them, then” Olivia motions for Ruby to follow her.

“What? Now?”

“Yes, now, Ruby. Castiel, please help me carry her to the lab so I can see the babies”

They perform the ultrasound to find out that Ruby was right, the babies are almost out of room”

“Okay” Olivia says following the image on the screen and the measurements the technician is making, “If they don’t pop up within the next two weeks we’ll have to perform a C-section, Ruby. It’ll have to be by… lemme see… April 2nd, and you’ll have to check with me every three days until then” Olivia takes notes and is about to leave when she turns to Ruby who sounds really distressed now.

“Oh, no Olive, please not that day!”

“Why? Don’t you want them to be born already?”

“Oh, please yes, I can’t wait… but the thing is that Sam has a lecture that day at the Symposium the whole hospital has been going nuts about and he’s been working so hard for it… could we reschedule for the 4th?”

“As long as your babies don’t force themselves into the world by their own accord… April the 4th it is”

 


	44. What Makes You Different (Makes You Beautiful)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it people. This is the last chapter of FIND ME NOW.
> 
> We want to thank you all of you for reading, for the kudos and the wonderful comments that helped us grow as writers and gave us ideas for the plot. We love you all.
> 
> A special thanks to the Betas that have helped us along the way: Patinesa, VictimOfLove and Leia.
> 
> We are a little sad to let this story of ours go, but we have a little secret we’d like to share with you... this is probably not the end of this world. We plan to turn this into a series. So we can add timestamps whenever we feel we miss our Winchesters or when inspiration decides to pay a visit.
> 
> We are already creating another story, (not an ABO this time). We will be posting it soon. Just keep checking our users or just subscribe to the series.
> 
> Seriously, people, thank you all, you are great!!
> 
> Naniquena and Fridarules

You don't know how you touched my life

Oh in so many ways I just can't describe

You taught me what love is supposed to be

It's all the little things that make you beautiful to me

* * *

April the 2nd arrives in a flash for Sam. He’s has the lecture ready but his mind is busy with the reminder that in 48 hours he’s going to become a Dad and he’s both delighted and terrified. Prompted to compare, he’s more scared about the babies being born than about the eminences that will be among the audience today and at the Q&A tomorrow.

Dylan is there, amazed and happy to have color back in his face. He’s now strong enough to walk by himself and being able to both travel and take in fresh air without feeling sick is a wonderful experience for him. He’s not cancer free but he will certainly live longer than they had originally expected. Maybe he will even get the chance to meet his mate somewhere down the road. Hope works wonders in patients who have nothing else to hang on to. To some, hope is everything.  

Even when they had to move the event to a bigger place, the new auditorium is packed and Sam, after a tiny moment of nervousness, seems quite comfortable talking in front of such a large audience. The moment he begins his lecture he just forgets about the eyes staring holes into his body and starts talking.

Sam explains his findings, educational and to the point; everyone in the room is expectant of every detail of the possible solution to the biggest riddle in medicine. No questions are allowed though, on the 3rd there will be a session of Q&A presided by Sam, Pakin, Sam’s assistants and the Cedar Sinai oncologist board.

“I would like to thank Dr. Pakin and the board for the support, I couldn’t be more proud to be part of the Cedar’s staff, also thank you all for coming here today. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to continue with this research. In your folders you’ll find the Q&A schedule for tomorrow.”

The Q&A begins early in the morning of the 3rd. Sam has barely slept, high from the rush of the lecture and the excitement of the imminent birth of his children.

The doctors have a thousand questions that Sam answers in all honesty, going into as much details as he can; after six hours, seeing Ruby arrive with Dean and Cas, he calls a day and addresses the Doctors in the room.

“It’s been a pleasure to meet you all and answer your questions, but now… I have the most important day of my life waiting for me and I should be getting ready. No, no… wait, I know, right? What can be more important than this? I see the question in your eyes… baby, can you come here for a second?”

Ruby enters the stage and walks slowly towards her husband, too heavy to move gracefully.

“My very pregnant wife and I have the most important appointment tomorrow morning,” There’s a general awe and clapping in the room, “And one last night of good sleep is gonna be appreciated too,” everybody laughs as they claps harder, “Okay, this is it. We hope to keep publishing advances on a regular basis. But you can email me or Pakin your questions, cases, and contributions. I’m taking a two weeks’ leave and then I’ll begin to answer anything you send to me. Thank you all again for your attention. Have a nice day.”

Sam takes Ruby by the waist (because he can still find it, thank you very much) and leaves the stage. He then spends the next hour shaking hands and being congratulated by every doctor in the room.

* * *

 

The bag is on the bed. It’s been ready for weeks now; one thing you can’t blame Sam for is of not being prepared. Sam stands in front of Ruby, who’s combing her hair and breathing deeply.

  
“Are you ready, Ruby?” Sam can’t stay still.  
  
“Yeah baby, just one more minute” she puts her hair in a bun and takes a second to look at herself in the mirror.  
  
She takes his hand as he guides her downstairs to meet the guys.  
  
Dean and Cas share an amused look, when they see them both coming down the stairs slowly taking one step at the time and resting every third.   
  
“Do you have everything you need?” Sam’s eyes go from the bag to his wife and back.  
  
“Yes Sam,” Ruby makes her best effort to stay calm.  
  
“How are you feeling?” he crosses his arms and frowns, “Your back must be hurting, do you want me to go get your favorite pillow?” He begins to pace around the couch and the other three watch him half amused, his tone is getting higher by the second as stress begins to appear all over his face… a few moments later he begins to hyperventilate.    
  
“Ruby, can I bring you some water?” Sam kneels in front of her, taking her hands in his, “You’re cold… want me to bring you your coat? You feel good? You’re not dizzy, right? Olivia said you could feel like that because of the babies pressing against your bladder… do you need to pee? Uhm… Rubs, you want to call your mom?” Sam takes her wrist and takes her pulse, “it’s a bit too fast, let me get my stethoscope and make sure…” She grabs his hand and that’s enough to stop him from taking off, “Okay… okay sweetie, I’m here, don’t worry.”  
  
Sam then sits next to Ruby for a few minutes, tapping his fingers on his knees, looking around thinking of everything they’ll need, worrying his lower lip and checking the list in his head.   
  
“Shit” he says patting his pockets, “I don’t have my keys… where are my keys,” he gets up and walks around the table, the kitchen, finally the bowl by the door where he usually leaves his keys, “Fuck!”  
  
Dean pities him, “Dude, what’s that in your hand?” Ruby refrains herself from laughing. Sam looks at his hand holding the keys and smiles sheepishly, shrugging a bit.  
  
But Sam is on a roll, he goes to the bag and starts checking its contents “Good, let’s see then, diapers, baby clothes, Ruby, we forgot to pack the bath…”  
  
“Samuel Tristan Winchester, STOP! I’m focusing on relaxing and you’re just making me nervous! Would you calm down?” She turns on the couch as much as she can without standing up, and in a calm but firm tone continues, “How is it that a grown man, a Doctor who can talk in front of hundreds of people, and still be cool can turn in such an insecure mess right now?... I’m good, Daddy, and as ready as I’ll ever be,” she sighs and softens her tone, “Everything is in the bag and if by any chance we forget anything there will be a lot of people who can run here and grab it for us. Can we please just go?”   
  
“’m not insecure, you know… ” Sam mumbles barely to himself.   
  
Ruby cups Sam’s face and pecks him, “Oh, and Dean is driving… I wouldn’t trust you with driving a grocery cart today.”  
  
“Yep, that’s me… designated driver,” Dean laughs.  
  
Sam grunts and Ruby punches his arm to make him stop behaving like a kid.  
  
“Easy on him, Rubs, he’s freaking out… I think he’s allowed to be a little frightened today, don’t you think?”   
  
“’m not frightened,” Sam pouts.  
  
“True… you’re  terrified, the pissing your pants kind… Bitch,” Dean is having a blast; he really wishes he had a camera.  
  
“Jerk,” Sam replies instantly.  
  
“Language, you two! They can hear you, I told you!” Rubs admonishes them.  
  
“Yeah, good luck with that, Rurru. Ellen’s once told me she’s been trying to make the name calling stop since she first babysat on them, but … seriously, you two calm down.” Cas finally decides to step in to stop the charade, “Sam, help Rurru to stand up. Dean, grab Sam’s keys.” He holds up his hand to stop his husband’s complaints, “We’re not taking Baby, she’s not suitable for Ruby or the babies, so suck it up. I’ll grab the bag. Let’s get moving or the babies are gonna pop out right here,” Castiel orders.

There’s no more complaints, as everyone does as Cas says.

Dean positions himself behind Cas, puts his arms around his waist and whispers “I love it when you get bossy,” kissing him on the curve of his neck.

Cas turns around into Dean’s arms, “I could get bossy tonight if you know what I mean… if you want me to, that is…” he says grabbing Dean’s ass, making his husband’s eyes open wide.

“I like that plan,” he breaths into Cas’ ear while nipping his earlobe.

“Oh for fucks sake! You can’t be seriously doing that! Hurry up and get in the car!” Sam yells at them from the doorway.

“LANGUAGE!”

“Well now I have something to look forward to tonight, BUT for now… let’s get these babies born,” Cas breaks the hug making Dean pout.

“Oh no, mister, stop that right now… move… move,” he says smiling and patting his husband’s ass.

* * *

 

Thomas and Maison Winchester were born in silence. They made their first cry in their Daddy’s arms, when the nurse placed them after taking their measurements and cleaning them up. Ruby was too sedated to remember but Sam cried at the sight of his first born. Thomas John is small and beautiful, dark haired with his big eyes that are almost black. His sister was born ten minutes later and she is the most perfect thing Sam has seen in his whole  life, blonde with baby blue eyes.

It’s been about an hour since their lives changed forever. Ruby is exhausted so she was given a sedative and falls asleep almost instantly. There were no complications with the delivery, so after the mummy has properly rested the nurse comes back with the babies.

“Here Daddy, take your son… that’s it, careful with his head,” once in Sam’s hands Thomas stops crying and goes back to sleep.

Sam hasn’t stopped smiling since meeting his children and he honestly thinks he will never stop. He looks at his daughter safe in the crib and back to his son in his arms as if afraid of breaking him and can’t help to think of how small Thomas is. He nods at the nurse and Maison is placed in his other arm but, contrary to her brother, once on her Daddy’s arm she begins to cry nonstop for the next ten minutes.  

The nurse has left and Sam is not sure of what to do to calm Maison so, thinking of giving her his full attention, he leaves Thomas in the crib and starts talking to her… only Maison is more distressed than before, she cries harder and Sam is pretty sure that if the sedatives were wearing off, Ruby would be already awake. Maison flaps her little arms and her face is red from all the crying. Sam decides to put her back into the crib thinking that maybe she’s picking up on his nervousness. As soon as she’s placed next to her brother Maison stops crying altogether and flaps her arms apparently aiming for Tomas’ hand.

Wait. What? Sam knows it’s impossible, newborns can’t control their limbs and  yet he’s watching his daughter hold her brother’s hand like her life depends on it. His heart has been put to the test today; up to this morning he would have thought he could never feel so much love for anyone else besides the family healready had. Yet, barely three hours old, his twins have taught him that he knew nothing. His life feels complete now.

Sam watches as Maison’s eyes start to drop and finally falls asleep without releasing Tomas’ hand. Sam smiles wider and silently cries tears of joy.

That’s how Dean and Cas find him when they enter the room.

Sam hears the door close and feels his brother’s hand on his shoulder. He wants to hug him, he wants to hug Cas too, but he finds himself unable to turn away from his beautiful babies. Smiling even wider he says:

“Guys, say hi to Maison and Thomas,” voice cracked with emotion. Dean and Cas hug him as their eyes turn towards the babies, “They’re amazing, Dean… I can’t…” but he can’t even finish his sentence. Words are nothing. They are too small to project what this actually means, what he’s feeling.

“They’re beautiful, Sam. But… is Maison holding Thomas’ hand?” Cas asks politely, as he and Dean lean over the crib to get a better look at their niece and nephew.

“Yeah… I know it should be impossible but she is. I held her and she cried for ten minutes, she only stopped when I put her in the crib next to her brother.”

Ruby wakes up just in time to catch some of his explanation. “I wanna see my babies, y’all.”

Sam rolls the crib towards her bed, “Hey, baby” he kisses her tenderly, “You’re amazing, look how beautiful our children are… thank you,” he kisses her again, and they both turn to look into the crib holding their offspring.

“Look, honey, Maison is holding Tom’s hand, she pitched a fit earlier when I separated them.”

“That’s not possible,” The neonatologist says while entering the room.

“But she is, look! Besides, I know I’m tired and stressed, and a new Dad and all but I saw her reaching for Thomas’ hand.”

“Allll-right then” the doctor says picking Maison up and putting her in her Mommy’s arms. The baby rubs her nose over her mother’s skin, breathing and tasting her smell, making it her anchor, yet it doesn’t stop her from crying anyway.

“Hello baby girl. You love momma, don’t you? I know, I know… no, baby don’t cry, Thomas is here, he won’t leave you…” Ruby fumbles her finger over her daughter’s face, smiling and softly whispering, “I know you spent a long time together but now there are a lot of other people to meet who love you so much. There’s Daddy and Uncle Dean and Uncle Cas.”

Maison’s cries softer now, flapping her hand a little. Sam takes Thomas and places him against Ruby’s chest right next to Maison, and the five adults watch open mouthed as she reaches out for her brother’s hand.

“See?” Sam states in triumph, “I’m not crazy.”

“Debatable,” Dean has to tease him.

“Dean, please…” Cas chastise him fondly, turning to look at the doctor who keeps on talking as if they were not in the room.

“Dr. Winchester, the Meta office told you that they’re will monitor your babies’ lives for the next two years, at least; right?” he matter of factly.

“Yeah, I know. We’ve put cameras in their room to record them as they grow. We’ve organized a schedule. We’ve agreed to cooperate with everything the council asks from us but within limits.” Despite being over the moon with happiness, Sam seems to have zero problems of jumping into Alpha mode within a second, ready to fight tooth and nails for his family, “If they try to take our babies from us we’ll disappear, they were already informed. You cannot take them anywhere without me or someone from our family to keep an eye on them; and I don’t mean to wait outside while you perform tests or measurements, they will have to actually be by the babies’ sides. You’ll have to tell us what you’re doing to them and why. Now do what you came in to do and stop interrupting our family affairs. Next time, you will announce yourself.”

The neonatologist sighs and nods; he was already told Sam was a protective Meta but he never thought he would be so straightforward. He takes blood samples from the babies’ tiny feet and leaves the room without another word. Four sets of eyes on him the whole time.

“You were harsh on him, Honey,” Ruby tells him.

“Yeah, I know, but we need to set ground rules here. Otherwise they will run all over us and start taking liberties. Next thing you know they’ll take the babies out of our sight and return them whenever they want. I know the medical drill and you know the legal stuff. We can protect them.”

Probably for the first time, Sam stands to his full height as he unleashes his full Alpha. Dean knows this is one of the rare times Sam has let the Meta in him take control.

“Sammy, we won’t let them,” Dean reassures him, taking Cas’ hand who’s nodding in agreement.

The three men look at the babies on Ruby’s chest looking for mommy’s breast to be fed, their hands still interlaced. Sam chest would burst with happiness and he’s pretty sure he could die of dehydration from all the crying he’s done in the last three hours.

* * *

 

“Babe, you sure you want babies?” Dean turns to look in the direction of the bathroom that Cas had disappeared into. Thomas and Maison are good babies; crying only when they’re hungry or needed to be changed, but the house is an amplifier, so when the twins go hungry at four in the morning well… Dean wakes up.

“I need my eight hours beauty sleep,” he jokes as he begins to dress, “they’re three weeks old and all I want to do is sleep straight through the night, and I’m not even their Dad,” if the bags underneath his eyes were any hint to what he thought about the sleepless night.

“Well… I think it’s a little late for that, Love.” Cas says leaving the bathroom with a stick in his hand.

Dean’s knees fail and he’s lucky he’s near the bed as he sits on the bed and looks up at his husband. He swallows loudly and tries unsuccessfully to clear his throat, “That’s… This is, I mean… are we?! GOD CAS,TALK! Stop it with the face!... Cas, babe, say something please!” His vision blurs as his emotions bubble to the surface as he sees Castiel’s mouth curl up in a smile that lights up his eyes.

“Yes Love… we are. Olivia was right, that hotel was perfect and I got to relax.”

Dean is motionless as his mouth falls open and he stares at Cas with marveled eyes. He continues to do this for the next five minutes as he endlessly repeats, I’m gonna be a Dad. Cas slowly tries to close the distance between them so that he can let Dean process. He then kneels in front of him and places a hand on Dean’s knee causing him to look up. As soon as they lock eyes it takes his mate out of his shock, he cradles Cas’ face and he can’t hold in the tears anymore.

“WE’RE GONNA HAVE A BABY!” he yells, laughing and crying at the same time.

Cas laugh is beautiful, his dream come true. “Yes Love, we are. Now hug me… maybe?”

Dean rolls his eyes to himself as he hugs Cas planting kisses to the top of his head stopping only to look at him in the eyes and caress his face. He then starts to kissing him all over, tiny little butterfly kisses, tender and loving. He picks Cas up from the floor, standing him up to hug his belly and kiss it with all the tenderness he sometimes forgets he possesses. Cas pets Dean’s hair, smiling down at him thinking how lucky he is, having a caring Alpha such as this. No, not Alpha… man, the perfect man. Dean’s voice suddenly distracts him from his thoughts.

“Hi there baby. This is Daddy. I promise we’ll be talking a lot in the next few months. I haven’t seen you yet and I already love you.”

Castiel feels so lucky, he’s so happy that can’t stop smiling. His chest is about to burst from a mixture of joy and love and something else that he can’t yet identify. He feels his husband’s lips on his belly, forming words meant only for their child, a bond forming already and he can only envision that their child will be the happiest kid ever.

He takes Dean’s chin, “Come here, Alpha, kiss me properly.”

Dean stands up and cups Cas’ face kissing him tenderly.

“Dean… I won’t break,” Castiel deepens the kiss. There’s no rush or sex involved, just two people reestablishing their love.

After minutes or hours, who could tell, Dean parts the kiss earning himself a whine from Castiel, “Can we tell the rest of the house, now?”

“Only Sam and Ruby, I wanna wait until I see Olivia and run some tests before telling the whole family, okay?”

Dean nods, takes Cas’ hand and rushes with him into the kitchen, it’s empty so he begins to shout, “Sammy!! Sammy!! Ruby!! Where the hell are you?!”

Ten minutes later Dean has the coffee ready for him and Sam and tea for the mommy and his mate.

“Morning Jerk. What’s with the riot, dude! I was sleeping. Thomas woke up two hours ago with belly ache and, of course, Maison woke up too… they kept us busy for almost half an hour.” He says as a greeting as he bypasses them directly to fill his mug with the magical juice, “You pray you didn’t wake them up or you’ll end up babysitting.”

“Well, we might as well… it would be a good training,” Dean beams hugging Cas from behind, hands on his husband’s belly.

“OH NO, WINCHESTER, you did not tell the news before I got into the room,” Ruby shouts from the door, startling Sam as he’s still trying to process what the hell is going on.

“Baby bro has dibs. Priorities, woman, priorities!” Dean laughs.

Ruby kisses him on the cheek and pats his shoulder; she stands in front of Cas and takes him by the shoulders, “What did I tell you, Cassie?” all smiles and sleepy eyes.

“I know, I know, I think your exact words were ‘Chill out, dude’.”

“Nonsense! I don’t talk like that, I’m a lady. Come and let me hug you. Congratulations, guys!”

Sam stands in the middle of the kitchen, coffee in hand, trying to understand the scene. He tilts his head to the side hoping that it’ll make a difference… nope, still nothing. Damn. He hates not knowing.

“Could someone please inform the non-psychic person in the room why everybody is so happy while I’m asleep on my feet?” he’s about to throw a tantrum and it’s so funny Dean starts laughing out loud earning a frown from his brother.

“See, woman, he’s clueless!” Ruby laughs.

“I’m pregnant,” Castiel finally tells him.

“Shit guys, this is amazing!” Sam says as he grabs Dean in a tight hug as both of them start crying.

Ruby covers her mouth with her hand, trying not to show how touching she finds the brother’s embrace, as Cas stands next to them and cups Dean’s trembling shoulder.

“You’re a sap, Dean Winchester… but you’re my sap”

Dean parts the hug with his brother to throw his arms around Castiel’s waist, too happy to have a good comeback to his teasing, “Who cares, I wanna be a sap today, Cas... We’re gonna be Dads.”

* * *

 

Bobby, Ellen and Ash fly to Santa Monica for Sam’s birthday.

The grandparents are desperate to meet their grandbabies so they can start as soon as possible with spoiling them rotten. Little do they know how much there is to celebrate besides the birth of the twins. Cas and Dean, as well as celebrating their first year together, will also tell everyone at the party about their pregnancy. and Jo has her huge ring to show, but she’s told Ruby already that she intends to wait at least a year before even beginning planning anything.

Life is good. Damn, life is perfect.

* * *

 

“Dean would you hurry? We’re gonna be late.”

It’s May 22nd and they’re heading to the Cedar Sinai for their first sonogram. Cas is still amazed how meeting Dean has changed his life. It’s barely been a year since their first awkward kiss and now it’s time to hear their baby’s heartbeat.

“We won’t and stop yelling! You’re getting stressed and then you’re gonna blame it on me when our kid make your stomach upset.”

They arrive, of course, on time, with Baby purring her engine through the city and Cas can tell his son already likes his father’s car, Castiel’s discomfort is quickly gone.

Dean helps Cas to lay comfortably on the examination table as the technician enters and shakes both men’s hands.

“Alright, let’s take a look at that baby of yours,” he moves the device against Cas’ belly. Cas reaches out in nervous anticipation for his husband’s hand as he takes a deep breath.

“Oh my! Gentlemen, would you look at that!” the tech says and without letting Cas hand go, Dean stands up all alert.

“What… what? Something’s wrong?” he looks at Cas with a tiny smile that intents to be reassuring but his eyes show concern.

“Wrong? No, not at all!” the tech snorts.

“Then what?” and that’s old Dean speaking, demanding to know right fucking now, a little of his Alpha showing. Cas isn’t paying attention to either of them, his eyes fixed to the screen as he tries to interpret what he is looking at.

“You wanna hear the heartbeat?”

“Please,” the Winchesters say at the same time and two seconds later the tech is pressing a button and a cacophony of heartbeats fills the room.

“That can’t be right,” Cas says frowning, “a heartbeat is more rhythmic than that…”

“You’re right Dad. If there was only one heartbeat… but what we’re hearing now it’s the sound of three hearts.”

“Wait WHAT?” Dean shakes his head trying to catch up with the news.

The tech suppresses a laugh, “Yes, Daddy, you’re gonna have triplets,” he looks at the couple looking at the monitor in shock.

“We’ll have to wait till the next time to know the sex.”

“Three,” Dean repeats.

Cas finally is able to look away from the image of his babies on the screen and turns his head to meet Dean’s eyes; his own opened wide as hope, happiness and fear show.

He whispers, “We’re gonna have three babies, Love.”

“Oh Babe, I love you so much…” Dean kisses him while the technician keeps taking measurements, and prints copies of the sonogram for the Daddies to take home.

They leave the lab walking slowly, arm in arm, still too shocked with the news...with the wonderful news. They’re ready to be parents together.

“We have to tell Ben!” Cas is looking at Dean who’s carefully leading the way, overly protective of his husband already. Cas just knows that he’s gonna be treated as if he’s made of china the entire pregnancy. Dean is about to answer when they bump into Sam, his eyes suddenly worried.

“What’s with the faces,” he asks concerned, “Is the baby okay?”

“Yes Sam, the babies are okay,” Cas proudly corrects him.

“DUDE that's awesome! You’re gonna have twins too, God the house is gonna be full. This is great!”  that was Sam’s dream all along, to have a house full of love and the laughter of children.

Dean and Cas looked at each other then burst into laughter. Cas then motions for Dean to the deliver the good news, “Triplets Sammy, we’re gonna have triplets.”

Sam then proceeds to go through several emotions before he is able to speak.

“OHHHHHHHHH this is awesome!!” Sam pulls them both into a tight hug, “Congratulations guys! Damn woman, she was right, again…”

“What?” Dean can’t seem to be able to handle any more surprises today.

“Ruby called about five minutes ago. She told me to say hi to the five of you. I had no idea what she meant.”

“Well, that’s your wife,” Castiel says laughing.

“Huh,” Sam nods, “So… triplets?”

“Yeah triplets,” Cas confirms putting a hand on his stomach, “This is going to be so much fun."

They say their good bye, they’re going to celebrate at the house tonight. Now Sam goes back to his lab testing and the couple decide to go to the beach, that place that is theirs by own right, to make plans and begin to think of baby names.

 

The beginning...

 

 


	45. NO NEW CHAPTER. JUST AN ANNOUNCEMENT

Hey there, everybody!

 

We post a sneak peak of our new work. [The Gambler](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4963165/chapters/11396968) here is the complete work 

You can also follow the series here  [Find me Now - The series](http://archiveofourown.org/series/334969)

 

Thanks a lot again for taking this ride with us!

This chapter will be removed after a short break!

 

Naniquena and Fridarules

 

PS, Don't forget to join us in our FB groups, we're family and we have a lot of fun!!

 

SUPERNATURAL:

<https://www.facebook.com/groups/huntersUnitedSupernaturalArg/>

DOCTOR WHO:

<https://www.facebook.com/groups/WhoviansUnitedArgentina/>

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell us if you like it.  
> We'd like coments... We'd really like reviews... They are like fuel for us!!!!


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